The meeting with the king gave Elissa a new perspective on the coming battle. King Cailan had congratulated her on becoming a Grey Warden while Teyrn Loghain warned him that his fascination with legends would be his undoing and that they must attend to reality. Loghain then went over the plan with the king and the Wardens. Cailan asked that Elissa and Alistair go to aid Loghain's men in lighting the beacon in the Tower of Ishal, which would signal Loghain's men to charge.
As Elissa and Duncan went to find Alistair, Elissa was beginning to get a sense of unease. Reaching the Warden camp, Duncan asked Alistair to join them.
"You heard the plan. You and Alistair will go to the Tower of Ishal and ensure the beacon is lit." he said.
"What?" Alistair exclaimed. "I won't be in the battle?"
Duncan shook his head. "This is by the king's personal request, Alistair. If the beacon is not lit, Teyrn Loghain's men won't know when to charge."
"So he needs two Grey Wardens standing up there holding the torch. Just in case right?" Alistair asked.
"I agree with Alistair, Duncan. We should be in the battle." Elissa said.
Duncan looked at her. "I know that you both wish to be in the battle, but that is not your choice. If King Cailan wishes Grey Wardens to ensure the beacon is lit, then Grey Wardens will be there. We must do whatever it takes to destroy the darkspawn… exciting or no."
Alistair shook his head. "I get, I get it. Just so you know, if the king ever asks me to put on a dress and dance the Remigold, I'm drawing the line. Darkspawn or no."
Beside him, Elissa giggled as the image of him doing just that popped into her head. "I think I'd like to see that." She said with a smile.
Alistair looked over at her and smiled back. "For you, maybe. But' it has to be a pretty dress."
Elissa replied, "I'm sure I can find something for you once this is over. You can come with me back to Highever and we can play a bit of dress up. I think I might still have a few dresses Mother had made for me." Then, she pretend to look him up and down, her finger to her lips. "I think you could fit into one or two of them- perhaps the brilliant pink one with the matching shoes… They might be a little tight, though."
"Oh, I think I can manage." Alistair added. "Though, I don't think pink is really my colour."
She looked up at him and they both burst out laughing. Next to them, Duncan put a hand to his face and sighed. He was glad to see them getting along and trying to make the situation a little lighter, but he needed them to take this task seriously.
Elissa looked over and saw the serious look upon Duncan's face. "Forgive us, Duncan. We were only trying to make a bit of fun before the battle. We understand what we have to do." She told him, trying to quell the laughter threatening to burst out again.
"Good. It is nice to see you having fun and enjoying yourself, but do not forget that we are about to go into battle against the darkspawn. Frivolities can wait until after the battle." Duncan said, acknowledging her apology. "The tower is on the other side of the gorge from the king's camp, the way we came when we arrived. You'll need to cross the gorge and head through the gate and up to the tower entrance. From the top, you'll overlook the entire valley."
Elissa nodded. "Sounds easy enough."
"We will signal you when the time is right. Alistair will know what to look for." Duncan added.
"I know what we have to do." Elissa said.
"Then I must join the others. From here, you two are on your own. Remember, you are both Grey Wardens. I expect you to be worthy of that title."
Elissa nodded.
"Duncan… may the Maker watch over you." Alistair said.
"May He watch over us all." Duncan replied, turning to leave.
Elissa felt like she was never going to see him again, so she called out to him and wrapped her arms around his neck when he turned back to her. "I will never forget you or what you have done for me and my family. I will always be grateful to you and will always be in your debt. We will not disappoint you, my friend. Please, take care of yourself out there, and look after the king. Cailan's confidence and skill may not be enough to keep him alive out there and we need our king. We need you." She said.
Duncan was taken aback and Alistair stared at her. Not once had anyone ever tried to show Duncan such affection and even so, Duncan smiled softly and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her back.
"I will be fine, dear girl. You look after Alistair and yourself. Do not worry about me." He said.
Before she pulled away, Elissa muttered softly to him, "The feeling I had before Daveth and Jory died is coming back. When I look at you and the king, it becomes almost overwhelming. Please be careful. I want to see you both again once this is over. Come back to us safely."
Elissa stepped back and Duncan placed his hands on her shoulders. "You have nothing to worry about, I assure you. You and Alistair have your task, I have mine. I will not let the king fall nor will I let the darkspawn overtake me. We will see you once the battle is over and then I have much to teach you." He looked at Alistair. "Both of you."
Elissa nodded and watched as Duncan bowed his head in farewell and left them to join the king. Alistair came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"
Elissa shook her head. "Duncan, he…" she started to say, then thinking better of it- knowing how much Duncan meant to Alistair- said, "He will be fine. Let's hurry, we need to get to the tower."
Alistair knew that she wasn't telling him something, but sensed it would not matter with the task of lighting the beacon still at hand. He decided to ask her about it later and followed her towards the Tower of Ishal.