Chapter 110: Ambush
Fergus Cousland was still awake when the attack began. He had been laying in his tent, at least trying to get some rest, but sleep was denied him. His mind was far too busy to sleep, full of too many thoughts…
…Too…full…of her.
The nobleman sighed heavily.
He could not deny that he had…feelings towards Kally. She was strong, fierce, and beautiful, she probably would have laughed at that last part. The elven warrior saw only her eyepatch and ruined ear.
Those scars were nothing to Fergus; they were mere flaws that made her all the more real in his eyes. They had fought side by side for months now, and all he had come to see was the grace and poise by which she carried herself. In combat she had a fluid grace that no other warrior he had no could match. Even her armor did not take away the quickness she possessed.
Kally…she…she was like no woman he had known before.
He closed his eyes and shuddered. His fingers went to his face; he still remembered the soft yet passionate kiss she had given him in the tunnels beneath the temple of sacred ashes. It had not been planned, but it had been a long time coming. He hated to admit it, but he had been drawn to her since they had first pulled her out of that crow's cage on the way to Denerim.
What had happened in the gauntlet had finally let those feelings loose. It had been surprising really, for the longest time he had feared that he would never feel anything again. He had been…numb since the death of King Cailan and the defeat at Ostagar. Then when he had first received word of the fall of his house back in Highever…his very heart seemed to go quiet and cold. It seemed that only rage and misery would ever fill his heart after that. That he would never get over the horrible loses he had suffered.
He had told her about what he had seen in the gauntlet, and she had told him what she had seen as well. They had both seen shades of their loved ones, and in that moment, found the closure that had eluded them both for so long.
She spoke of her cousin; how she now understood what had happened with Vaughan Kendals had never been her fault. She had laughed then, commenting on now all she had to do was get her bad eye back to normal and everything would be where it needed to be.
He had chuckled and touched her face, the barest of touches really, but it made her sigh, a sigh of pure contentment.
"Everything is where it needs to be," he said in a husky voice.
Without really meaning to, they now found themselves standing so close, almost nose to nose.
Kally sighed in surrender.
"Fergus…I…"
Their lips met, warm, soft, inviting, he pulled her tight against him, feeling her lithe muscle, the gentle curves of her elven body.
Warm, he thought, it was so warm.
He thought had gone cold forever.
Kally, and the gauntlet, had changed that.
IOI
It had been so strange, that second chamber. He still remembered the mists swirling around him, he could see the others, but only barely, the cool fog in the chamber was too thick, thicker than anything he had seen along the coast of his beloved Highever.
It was then that the mist parted and a single person stepped through, a beautiful woman in fine Fereldan garments, her features had been sad, so very sad.
Seeing her like that, it almost stopped his heart.
His poor Oriana, his bride, his long lost love returned to him here in the gauntlet.
It was almost too much for him to bear…
"Have you forgotten me husband?" She asked.
Her question hit him like a blade to the heart.
"Never," he replied, "You are always in my thoughts, you and Oren, how could you even think I could forget?"
She gave him the look he knew so well, the one that practically screamed that she knew he was lying.
Seeing her here, seeing her look at him like that again, it almost made him sob. He knew this wasn't real, it couldn't be…
Oriana was gone. Oren was gone. His parents were gone. Elissa…Elissa was lost to him too, he might even have to kill her before all this was done.
He…he accepted that, but now…now that she was here.
It was almost too much to bear.
For so long he had wanted nothing more to see her face again, to feel her giving him "that look" again, even for a moment, but now that was happening, now that she was here.
It was both the sweetest joy and the most painful torture, because he knew it wasn't real…
He knew… that it had to end.
Her features softened somewhat, perhaps she sensed what he was feeling; Oriana had always known him so well. She walked further out of the mist, her hand raised; it stopped only mere inches from his face.
He saw tears in her eyes.
"We will meet again, husband," she promised, "As the Maker wills, but in the meantime, you must stop all this. You must let this guilt go, this hate…"
Oriana shook her head.
"I never would have wished such suffering upon you. Oren would never have wished such suffering upon you."
Fergus sobbed.
"I miss you, my love," he whimpered, "I miss you all…so very much."
She nodded sadly.
"You have such a long road ahead of you, husband," she said, "Carry us in your heart, carry our love for you, but do not let that love turn to poison. Do not let it blind you to the fact that you still live, and that you must go on…living."
She turned to leave him then, letting the mist take her away.
NO!" he shouted, "Please don't go!"
She paused and gave him a sad smile.
"We will never be far from you," she promised, "Do what we can no longer do, husband. Live. That is your first duty now; lives and love again, live for those of us who no longer can."
She kissed her fingers and lightly touched his forehead; he could feel the warmth of her touch, even though he knew in his heart that none of this was real.
"I'm sorry, love," he sobbed, "I'm so very sorry."
Tears ran down Oriana's cheeks.
"I know, my husband," she cooed, "Know that you are forgiven, and that we love you."
She slipped away from him then, leaving him alone in the mist, but not before he heard her voice one final time.
"We will meet again, husband."
And with that, she was gone.
He shuddered, all the anger, all the guilt, it was still there, but it…it no longer had sway over his heart.
She…
She had forgiven him.
They…those he loved…had forgiven him.
After that, he felt no shame in take Kally into his arms, kissing her in the way he had wanted to for such a long time.
It was good, better than good.
It was…wonderful.
She slipped away from him then, fleeing before anything else could be said. He had wanted to pursue her, but realized that now was not the time.
His brow furrowed with worry.
Had he moved to quickly?
"Kally…um…I'm…I'm sorry! I didn't mean…"
She paused. She looked at him, her lips trembling slightly.
"Don't be," she murmured.
"I'm not."
IOI
Her last words to him still haunted him as he lay in his tent. Part of him wanted to go to her, to take her into his arms again, and find the true release he sought. The true release they both sought….
Fergus sighed heavily
Are you sure that is what she wants?
Or are you just fooling yourself?
He could not say for certain, and that uncertainty haunted him. He…
"WAKE UP!"
Alistair's voice startled him out of his stupor.
"EVERYONE WAKE UP!"
That sounded like Theron. Fergus sat up, his hand going to his blade.
Outside thunder rumbled, then everything became quiet, a stillness that was more than unnatural.
Fergus Cousland barely had time to catch his breath.
A high pitched squeal split the silent. Something tall and black sliced through his tent with a short blade.
It was a shadow in the darkness a blur in the night. He barely had enough time to move, to dodge the blade before it buried itself in his chest.
He swung his sword with a surprised and angry snarl. The shadow had no time to dodge, good Highever steel bit into the thing's side.
That piercing cry sounded again, but this time was cut short, by blood, bubbling up into its foul maw.
Fergus brought his shield up and bashed the thing in the head, it fell, but did not stop trying to slash it his bare chest.
He brought the shield down once more, twice…
Finally the thing stopped moving, lightning flashed outside revealing a sore-riddled tainted face with long pointed ears.
It was a darkspawn, he realized.
A Shriek.
And…it was not alone.
Strong winds ripped his tent away, revealing that their camp had become a battlefield. He counted at least a dozen shrieks, plus a mighty ogre roaring down on them from the hills. Their companions were emerging from their tents, some in varying stages of undress.
Kally and Sten waded into the swarm of monster. They must have been on watch when the attack began…
How could so many darkspawn sneak up on them so quickly? It was…
Lightning flashed down as Alim sought to blind the darkspawn. Fergus shielded his eyes; he brought up his shield to meet a charging shriek.
"FERGUS! BEHIND YOU!"
He heeded Kally's voice.
It might have just saved his life.
He spun, whirling his blade as he did. It found its mark in the chest of a darkspawn in farmer's clothes; the creature wielded an old rusty scythe. Its diseased face twisted as his sword struck home.
Fergus gasped.
This was no darkspawn he realized, it was some poor blighted soul, fighting with the darkspawn because of its taint addled mind.
It was a ghoul, and like the shriek that he had killed it had not come alone.
A second wave of unarmored fighters stormed the camp. The ghouls wielded clubs, axes, pitchforks, and whatever weapons that they had brought with them.
Unlike the darkspawn, there was no strategy here; the ghouls were a mindless horde, a foul tidal wave…
And they moved with one goal, to wash the wardens and their allies away.
They took the heroes by surprise. This flood of tortured souls washed over the camp, giving the darkspawn the time they needed to regroup.
Fergus heard Alim shout up to the heavens, overhead the clouds spun. Wind and rain lashed down on the darkspawn and their pawns.
Lightning and thunder crashed as one.
Fergus had managed to close his eyes this time; he was not affected by the blinding flash that struck the monsters. It gave them all the time they needed.
They were mostly unprepared, mostly unarmored, but that did not stop Alim and his allies.
They could not run, to try and flee would mean that they would be cut down from behind.
There was only one thing that they could do, the only thing that anyone could do.
They attacked.
And Maker forgive any who stood in their way.
IOI
"DEATH TO ALL PIGEONS!"
Alim blocked a shriek's attack with his staff, while he used his sword to end the life of a female ghoul wielding a long harpoon. Leliana fought at his side, wearing nothing but a shift, and a feral snarl.
She used her daggers in such close quarters. The ghouls had tried to overwhelm them with sheer numbers, had the group received no warning it might just have worked.
Alim shivered.
He could still hear the Archdemon's cold voice. His tainted blood sang with the beast's foul song. This had been no mere darkspawn raiding party. They were still too far away from anything worth raiding to make it worthwhile for such a large group.
No, this was not just some random attack.
The darkspawn had come for the wardens.
The darkspawn had come for them!
Shayle collided with the ogre that had torn through their camp so completely. Bodahn's cart lay flipped over on its side. The dwarven merchant's goods spilled to the winds.
Alim saw no sign of either the dwarf or his son. Hopefully, they had made it to cover, but given the number of darkspawn on the field.
Such an escape was unlikely.
Two shrieks leaped on Alistair. The former Templar met their long knives with his sword. He managed to cut the arm off one, but the second, plunged his dagger deep into the warden's shoulder.
Alistair cried out in pain.
Frim behind him a ghoul lunged; it wielded a cleaver more suited for butchering animals than battle. Alistair had not been wearing his armor; he was dressed in a simple shirt and trousers.
The cleaver cut deep into his side, doubling the warden over, the ghoul howled in triumph and raised the bloody blade for a final strike.
A large black she-bear plowed into it crushing it beneath her powerful paws. The bear roared as she swiped viciously at the shrieks trying to savage Alistair, her golden eyes flashing with unrestrained fury.
Alim said nothing. He knew this was Morrigan.
He just hoped she was not too late. If Alistair fell…they would…
He heard one of his companions cry out in pain. A cry followed closely by the wailing victory cry of a shriek.
He was not sure who had just screamed, but he noticed that the scream had been cut short, far too short…
He feared he knew what that meant.
The elf roared in fury.
Leliana and Bandit stayed close to him as he directed the storm's fury harder down on their enemy. Ghouls and shrieks flew through the air, and still the monsters came
His lips parted into a cruel sneer.
What did it take to stop these things? Were they…
THUNK! THUNK!
Alim gasped, and looked down.
Two darkspawn arrows were buried deep in his chest.
He coughed blood as he stared at the wounds in horror.
His eyes went up. He saw two squat genlocks holding bows near the tree line.
The foul bastards were laughing at them, at him, even as they nocked two more arrows.
Alim's eyes narrowed, his world turned bright red.
You like killing spawn? You like bringing taint and death?
His elven ears lay flat against his skull.
You want death creature, he thought.
I'll give you death!
Alim howled like the wind, even as pink froth fell from his lips.
The power of the Stormbreaker's responded
The wind shrieked with torment.
The STORM crashed down on them all.
Nature gone wild.
And none would escape.
None.