The horse was beyond its breaking limit, having been at a full gallop for some time. Ainslee had pulled ahead of Nathaniel as they rushed back toward Vigil's Keep from the Mother's lair, where Anders and Justice had remained behind to incinerate her bloated corpse and anything else that remained.

They had saved the city from the Mother's army before moving to her lair, leaving Vigil's Keep to either stand or fall. Ainslee's stomach twisted in fear and guilt, hoping that the improvements that had been made to the fortress were enough to keep it and the other Wardens safe… to keep Varel safe. Off in the distance, they could see smoke rising from the countryside, and Ainslee's heart sank.

Soldiers were moving quickly throughout the fortress, closing off all but the main gate and moving catapults and munitions to the top of the battlements. The darkspawn armies were on the move, and it was only a matter of time before the Vigil and Amaranthine would be attacked. Ainslee would be leading a small team toward the city in order to bolster their forces and, hopefully, turn the tide in their favor. Nathaniel, Anders, and Justice were making their last minute preparations for the trip. Ainslee was making one last round of the Vigil, giving encouragement when needed, and orders when necessary.

She returned to the main hall, where Varel had just directed the last of the workers to go to the underground chamber that held the prison. He was dressed in his full battle armor, gleaming like a silver star in the firelight of the chamber.

"Varel!"

He turned to greet her, his expression softening. Her voice was breathless as she approached him, and not only because of the constant running about the Vigil. She had to see him one last time…

"Ainslee," he said. Every time he said her name, electric shocks flowed through her. The worry that she felt was reflected in his own expression, as if he had let his stoic demeanor slide just a little while with her.

"The Vigil's roots are deep, she'll not fall easily," he said. He reached out and took one of her hands in his. "You've done well."

She squeezed his hands. "I couldn't have done it without you… Varel, I—"

"Commander! The horses are ready!"

She looked beyond Varel's shoulder and saw Nathaniel ducking back out of the front door. He was anxious to fight as well; this was his home, he had said, and he'd die for it.

"It's time," Varel quietly said.

Ainslee met his gaze and felt a lump form in her throat. He was right; it was time. She pulled her hand from his and embraced him in a tight hug, her head resting on the cool metal of the armor that enveloped his shoulder. She shuddered as he squeezed her back and sighed softly. "I'll return as soon as I can," she said.

As she pulled back, he reached up and cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing her skin. "I wish you good fortune. I'll see you soon."

A lump formed in her throat as she remembered Varel as she last saw him. Had she lost him before she'd even had a chance to tell him how much he meant to her?

She had known it on the day that she had left to fight for Amaranthine. It had grown on her subtly, quietly, as they had worked together to rebuild Amaranthine and the Grey Wardens. The tireless dedication to the arling and its people, his loyalty to the Grey Wardens—those were the things that had helped build their friendship at first. He was devoted to her not only as the Warden Commander, but as a friend, as she was to him. But, in time, it had gone beyond that.

Thundering hoofbeats were soon joined by the smell of smoke as she and Nathaniel rounded the last corner on the road to the Vigil's gates. The vegetation on the ground was trampled flat and there was the unmistakable stink of corruption in the air. Just outside the walls, blackened and smoldering lumps were on the ground, the remnants of the burning projectiles that had been hurtled from catapults on the battlements. Charred corpses littered the ground all the way to and partially up the fortress walls. The walls appeared to have some damage, but looked to have held.

She raced through the main gate. Several of the outer buildings within the fortress had burned and were still smoldering. Soldiers were moving back and forth, with several carts behind them piled with bodies of the dead—humans, dwarves, elves… and darkspawn. Soldiers called out to her as she raced through the fortress.

Near the steps to the main hall, the midday sun caught a glimmer of metal. Ainslee turned her horse toward it, urging it to gallop at full speed one last time. The people near the gate must have heard the hoofbeats and turned… including one with silver hair that matched his armor. She pulled back on the reins to urge her mount to stop and, once it did so, she dismounted and ran toward the silver beacon, taking the steps two at a time.

"Ainslee."

Her world dissolved into rapturous joy as he greeted her with a blistering kiss.