ACT II: Invincible


Note: Updates will be bi-weekly from this point forward, with little interruption (I hope). As always, I want to thank you all for returning, and the newcomers, your comments and enthusiasm for Jaime's story and growth make this all worth-while.


Preparations for a celebration were well underway long before I had awoken. Fires were lit up in their caskets and holders, dotting along Haven from the Chantry to the front gate. Soldiers were laughing, running up and down the pathways like children, dedicating their time to setting up tables and seats, preparing food and barrels of drink. I wonder what would have happened had I died?

I immediately put a stop to those thoughts.

I had bought myself some time with bathing in the frigid waters of the tub left in my cabin, combing my hair out and braiding it off to one side, the wild parts left to their own devices. I had donned simple clothes, a tunic (as always) with my cloak, and sturdy pants to fight the cold. My body wasn't completely up to snuff, there was still some stiffness in my joints and a creak in my back, but I would manage.

Varric and Blackwall were up by the dwarf's tent and when I arrived in their line of sight, Varric beamed me with a wide, toothy grin. Blackwall's shoulders slumped once his gaze found mine, giving me a once over to make sure I was alive. My feet hurried me to Varric and I almost skidded on my knees as I dropped down to hug him. His arms flew around me tight, crushing me to his chest.

"Atta girl!" Varric cheered, pulling back and holding my face in both his hands, grin bright, "Knew you'd make it!"

"Could'a shared that with me before I left, I almost shit my pants, guy." I weakly joked, cheeks puffed in his hands. He laughed at me, patting my face like a child and released me. Blackwall held a hand for me and I took it, standing on wobbly knees.

He hesitated for a moment and I caught the tight expression over his nose. A chuckle came up from me and I held my arms open to him. There was only a moment's hesitation more before he brought me into his arms and held me nearly as tight as Varric did, his exhale hard against my ear.

"Had us scared for a right moment, there." He murmured against my head. "When they walked in with you looking like a corpse, I thought for sure…"

I pulled away, grinning at him. "Looked pretty damn good for dead, didn't I?" He blinked at me, and then gave me the heaviest, longest eye roll he could, sighing at the end. Varric and I cracked into laughter, with tears coming to my eyes briefly, an insane sort of relief gurgling at the bottom of my throat.

I really did it, didn't I? We made it.

"I'm just – glad to see you're alive, and well." Blackwall nodded to me, releasing me with a slow slip of his arms. Another grin painted my face and I patted his shoulder. With a wave, I left them to their conversation and walked off toward the tavern, determined to see Sera. The tavern was bursting at the seams, shouts and yells of different parts of a single song erupting from inside.

It didn't take much to poke my way through, mostly because once someone got a look at my face, I got a hearty slap on the back, or a salute, and they cleared the way for me. I didn't find Sera when I entered, but rather that she had, somehow, teleported into my arms magically, hollering my name with the rest of them. Naturally, being as weak as a new lamb, there was a yelp and we crashed to the ground.

Sera was laughing on top of me, and despite the pain in my back, I laughed with her. She hugged me as well, needing no permission and kissed me smartly on the cheek, her breath smelling of the pungent alcohol Cabot was infamous for creating.

"Sera, off," I laughed, shoving at her ribs, "I was half dead, have some respect for the deceased!"

"You wot!" She giggled at me, rolling onto the floor and hauling me up by my shoulder to lean against her, in between her legs, beer and food stains down her front. "Right, see! Said to 'em it'd take the world fallin' in on ya to get ya good and dead! Didn'a say?" The templars cheered around her, about as drunk as she was, I'm sure. She hugged me tight again, from behind, a momentary squeeze that transmitted more of her worry than her words did. I held her arm as best I could, acknowledging her fear quietly.

Me, too.

It was a half hour or so before I could escape the tavern, with a mug and a half of whatever the hell in my stomach and giving me fuzzy vision before I trotted off in search of my other companions. Solas was not at the edge of his cabin's viewpoint, and his door was closed. I took it for what it meant, our earlier discussion still hot on my brain, and moved on to the Chantry. Waves and cheers followed me, bits of embarrassment crept in, my ears flushing red and the back of my neck on fire.

At the Chantry doors, I paused, staring at my feet for an extended moment. Slowly, my gaze traveled up to the sky. Above us, the same dark and heavy rain clouds I had seen before I was brought back to Haven floated overhead. The sun was blotted out, wisps of snow drifted around us and the darkened hole where the Breach was, hung dormant. A shudder ran over my shoulders and I quickly stepped into the Chantry.

Vivienne and Mother Giselle greeted me by Vivienne's desk. Mother Giselle gave me a careful bow, her full lips gentle in a smile before she excused herself, leaving me with my companion. Vivienne stood with me in silence, a small glance over me and then to my hand before her hard gaze returned to my face. Nearly unperceivable, her body shifted and relaxed, her back swaying like a willow.

"I'm glad to see that you survived, my dear." She said softly, her mouth even on her face. "It would have been dreadful to know all that you've done, and you would never see the result."

It was all the congratulations I was going to get, but it warmed me to pink and I smiled, my hands rolling in my cloak's edge, pleased.

"At this point, what couldn't I do, right?" I answered sheepishly, fighting my grin.

A hint of a smirk touched her lips, "What could you not accomplish, indeed. As I said, I expect a many great things from you, darling. You've proven that quite aptly. Let us continue the trend." She dipped her head slightly, her mouth soft and cheeks high and I returned the gesture, inordinately pleased with myself at having gotten so high a praise from Vivienne.

Leliana, Josephine, and Cullen were nowhere to be found in the Chantry. Vivienne pointed a disinterested finger back out into the courtyard and off I went, searching with my nose practically to the ground. I had reached the front gate to find the place completely flooded with people, the fifty-odd people from Bull's Chargers and the rest of the Templars having arrived made the area a rave.

"There she is!" Krem's voice hollered from somewhere in the throng of people. Glancing about, I spotted his hair before his face and grinned as I dashed my way over the steps to their company. Half the faces I didn't recognize; Krem's mouth was split into a grin, his cheeks bright and red from either the chill or alcohol, and it was anyone's guess to which at this point.

"I thought the celebration was later tonight, what the hell is this?" I cajoled, gesturing to a barrel with my open palm. The barrel itself was hacked on one side, a mace embedded and acting like a weird spout, turned one way to pour and another to close off the stream of leaking drink.

"Well uh," Krem was immediately backpedalling, hand at the back of his head, "see, thing is, it's damaged goods, right? Can't have that mucking up the works, so we –"

"Cremisius Aclassi, look at me." I pointed to my eyes with my index and middle fingers. He stopped, glancing up with startled blinks. "You're a big fat liar and I love you for it."

I was rewarded with a handsome grin, making my heart flutter at the ease of which he delivered it. He clapped me on the shoulder and wiggled me further into the group, the Chargers singing some nonsense around me as I found myself in Bull's shadow, a mug in his good hand and his single eye lit up, watching his crew.

Where my heart had fluttered with Krem's grin, it shuttered to a full stop as Bull noticed me and graced me with a long, languid smile, canines flashing under his lips. Though I was a hundred percent sure any and all blood I had in my body had evaporated through my skin, there was just enough to flood my face straight to my ears. I must have been sweating a river, no doubt.

"The woman of the hour," Bull greeted me, mocking me with a half bow and folded arm over his stomach. He stood upright as the Chargers hooted, his grin wider, "Good to see you alive, Boss. Would have been boring without you around."

"Really?" I choked, forcing my humor and waving my hand at the company around me, "looks like y'all would have done just fine."

"Oh sure, but this is normal." He teased, bringing his arm around my shoulders and tugging me to his side, "But there's nothing quite as exciting as watching you run head first into danger."

"Bull, I almost died," I couldn't breathe, not because he held me tight, but rather because I knew if I drew breath, I was going to faint from his scent. It was an odd mixture of some sharp alcohol (far stronger than whatever was in the barrel, for sure), wood, and leather. To think romance warned me the man I fell for would smell of sandalwood and spice; I feel that would have been easier to survive that then this torture.

"What was it you said," he rumbled, mouth sharpened by a smirk as he tilted and leaned his head down to me, "Almost is not the same as actual?"

Fucking hell, he's going to kill me.

To save myself, I reached up and smacked a hand to his face. There was no pressure to push him away and his one eye practically brightened tenfold between my fingers, his mouth moving into a wide grin against my palm. My face was on fire and the Chargers were snickering at us, no one could tell me otherwise.

"You have a nasty habit of biting me in the ass, you know that?" I grumbled, rubbing his nose in my palm to punctuate my point. It was the worst possible thing to do, because he only grinned against it and nipped at my palm. A yelp jerked from my voicebox and had the Chargers cackling around us.

"That wasn't an offer!" I swore, snatching my hand back before he decided on anything else. A bellowing laugh rolled up from his stomach to his chest, rattling me against his side. He patted my back affectionately and loosened his hold, letting me stand on my own. From somewhere deep in the recesses of my bowels, my heart returned behind my ribs, my pulse echoing in my ears.

"You're a drunk asshole," I laughed, smacking his stomach with the back of my hand. It bounced off harmlessly, his muscles didn't twitch at the touch and he snickered, taking the last draught of his mug and tossing it to Krem.

"Takes more than a barrel or two to get me there, so we're good."

"How much?!"

-0-

The celebration kicked off just as the sun began to set. The few mages we had in our ranks set off sparks of Veilfire and music started to play from somewhere and everywhere. People sang at different tempos and with different songs, poor Maryden pulled from one end of Haven to another, singing to her heart's content. My companions came and went as the festivities grew around me, their faces warmed with relief and freedom.

Exhaustion had arrived sooner than I had thought, but not so soon as to be unexpected. My limbs were sore and my left arm had started to throb. I took leave of my last group of citizens and moved up to where Leliana's tent had been, taken down for the celebration. Carefully, I sat on one of the crates, my feet dangling over the edge to the lower ground below me.

Footsteps came up from behind and with a quick glance, I spied Cassandra approaching. Without a thought, I held out a hand to her and the woman blinked at it, taking it with a tentative hold of her fingers. My own squeezed hers, love and affection and satisfaction all wrapped up into the gesture before I let go. She watched my hand drift away before looking out over the dancing crowd.

"Solas confirms the heavens are scarred but calm." She murmured with a glance at me. "The Breach is sealed." Silence settled comfortably between us, she shifted on her feet and drew her arms behind her back. The sense of more needing to be said tickled me, so I turned to her in my seat.

"We've reports of lingering rifts, and many questions remain," she continued, her eyes at my left hand, "but this was a victory. Word of your heroism has spread."

I snorted softly and shrugged, "Cassandra, we know how many people this chaos needed. I was lucky and got shoved into the middle of it."

"A strange kind of luck. I'm not sure if we need more or less." She sighed, rolling a shoulder under her armor. I tightened my cloak around me, briefly wishing I had dressed in something warmer. "But you're right. This was a victory of alliance. One of the few in recent memory."

Templars wandered past us, howling and needling each other with jabs, laughing between themselves as they stumbled to God-only-knew where. A chuckle bubbled up as I watched them, glad to have been a part of the reason they could enjoy themselves.

"Jaime," Cassandra started again, drawing my attention, "with the Breach closed, this alliance will need a new focus, and I –"

A war horn roared in the distance, the warning drums at the end peaks of Haven's range hammered to life and with a strange sort of empty fear, I stood next to Cassandra, both of us peering out over the wooden stakes to the distant mountainside. Little pops of torchlight started to appear, traveling down the snow and through the trees. As if from a movie in faded memory, the battle-bells started to toll.

Icy poison gripped the back of my throat, Cullen's voice echoed up through the falling snow:

"Forces approaching! To arms!"

I waited not at all for Cassandra and made a mad-dash through the scurrying people toward my cabin, crashing in through my door with wild eyes, searching for my armor. Blackwall was seconds behind me, having seen me run from his place at Varric's tent. His face flickered with surprise before it set hard and he lunged for my armor stand, dragging me to it. An eternity passed as he shoved me into my leathers and armor, clasping my pieces tight and fastening my belts.

My maul appeared in my hands and without a word, we flew through my door. At the gate to Haven's courtyard, Solas and Bull greeted me with furrowed mouths and heavy foreheads, clearly displeased with the situation. Civilians continued to scatter around us, the Chargers filing away from their spots to grab gear and usher people to safer places.

"So," Bull adjusted his maul with a look to me, "celebratory drinks are on hold, I take it?"

"Until I figure out who the fuck crashed the party, yeah." I answered darkly, adjusting my gloves over my hands and jogging to the front gate. Cassandra and Leliana stood with Cullen, all faces grim in the dying firelight, the echoes of a march coming to us in waves from the mountainside.

"Cullen?" Cassandra called off to my side, appearing with her weapons now in hand. She settled into my left side naturally, my companions shifting around me like water, with Bull at my back, Solas blocked by his massive size to be hidden, and Blackwall at my right.

The Commander turned to us, somber. "One surviving watchguard reporting. It's a massive force, the bulk over the mountain."

"Under what banner?" Josephine's voice drifted from Leliana's other side.

"None," Cullen spat.

"None?" Josephine parroted in surprise. At the end of her words, the gate before us rattled on its hinges, the wood creaking from hearty blows. My bones jumped under my skin, with alarm, my gaze flashed up to the mountain's slopes, but the forces were still approaching. Blackwall and I trotted up to the door, a voice calling through it.

"If you'd be so kind, it's rather drafty on this side!"

Blackwall shared a look with me before we reached for the gate and hauled it open. Cullen followed hot on our heels as we did so, the gates thrown back to reveal scattered bodies of armored mages, staffs frozen into their hands or snapped under them. A man dressed in leathers, bright with studs, exhaled with blowing gusts of hot breath and glanced up at us.

"Ah!" He cleared his throat, using his staff to stand on his feet. "I'm here to warn you. Fashionably late, I'm afraid." A small smirk flashed on his face before he tipped hard on one heel, Cullen and I dove to catch him. I clanked against Cullen's pauldrons as my commander secured a hold on the mage.

"Mite exhausted. Don't mind me," the mage soothed, patting Cullen away. His honeyed gaze found me, going wide at the sight. "There you are! I came to tell you what happened with the mages at Redcliffe. You're not going to like it."

Leliana's hearing was eagle-sharp, appearing at my back in an instant, her eyes narrowed on the newcomer. The mage paid her no mind, his gaze focused with mine, holding it as he spoke, swaying on his feet from his efforts to stay upright. My breath disappeared in a vacuum of my chest, my gaze flickering up to the mountainside, don't tell me...

"They are under the command of the Venatori, in service to something called The Elder One," he gasped, attempting to steady his footing, "the woman is Calpernia. She commands the Venatori, for that." He turned and pointed up at a high cliff, a handful of kilometers from where we stood, pecks into the darkness.

"The Elder One." The man shook his head, backing up toward us, "They were already marching on Haven. I risked my life to get here first!" It was scant minutes he had given us, but it hopefully we wouldn't waste them. Frantic thoughts ricocheted through my head, because even though we had Templars, that wasn't necessarily a straight-win against hundreds of mages.

And who the fuck knew what Venatori mages could do.

"Cullen!" I gripped the Commander's elbow, jerking his attention to me, "Give me a plan, anything!"

"Haven is no fortress," Cullen fumed, nose flared and mouth tight over his teeth. "If we are to withstand this monster, we must control the battle." He turned to Blackwall, his gaze sliding between the Warden and Bull, then back to me.

His shoulder went stiff and he reached for his sword, "Get out there and hit that force, use everything you can!" The sword hissed as it was yanked from its sheath, Cassandra followed the same and stood sturdy at the Commander's side, Leliana glared at the mountain and quickly hurried herself and Josephine back toward the courtyard, likely to take shelter in the Chantry. Blackwall took the mage by the arm and practically tossed him toward the gate, Bull and Solas drew up next to me as Cullen shouted orders behind us to the soldiers that gathered at his call.

Blackwall began leading us to the trebuchets.

"We need to set those trebuchets to fire!" Blackwall barked. Inquisition soldiers flew in around us once Cullen dismissed them, running toward the siege weapon. "Load them up, we'll keep them off you!" I couldn't catch my breath, terror taking my voice as I reached for my maul. It was a relief someone had their head on for command. We separated around the trebuchet, Solas and I to one side, Blackwall and Bull to the other.

The battle begun.

Handfuls of them charged up on either side, bombarding us with spells slung hard from their staffs. Solas was deadly silent as he dropped his heaviest barrier over my head, my armor and maul glowing a wild, blazing blue-green. The spells hurled our way bounced off my barrier as I charged forward. Close enough to see the eyes of my first opponent, my right heel dug into the snow, dirt and ice bunching at my foot. I pivoted with my momentum of my maul swing from the opposite side.

The head of my weapon caught the metal stave of the mage, electricity chattering on contact as he shoved me back. My weapon hit the ground like a brake and with it planted, I launched forward with a raised knee, still within range of hand-to-hand combat. The mage grunted as my joint landed in his stomach, he gripped my leg and raised his staff only to find my maul sailing up again from under him, shattering his knee.

We both hit the ground, but I fell on top of him, landing with all my weight and crushing his lower ribs with my armored knee. Hastily, I brought my maul up with one hand, jerked the handle higher in my grip and allowed gravity to drag it down as I aimed for his face. The helmet bowed inward, there was a gurgle of a gasping breath before his twitching stopped.

One down, I thought emptily. Christ, what's happened to me?

There was no time to contemplate the vacant sense of apathy holding me tight. I looked up, wincing as more spells flew past me, sizzling as they shot close enough to feel their heat. Jesus Christ! Where'd they get magic like that? All we needed was the sandstorm from Mad Max to make it Hell On Earth. Some of the spells began to blind me, bright against the snow. I shielded my eyes and looked for my companions.

Fire flared and flashed around me, Solas' spells were cascading from above my head and bombarding new invaders, he was heaving hard, his breath hot swirls in the air. The Inquisition soldiers were working with the noise hammering around them, desperately trying to load the trebuchet for launch. They need a minute more. My feet brought me up to stand, only to roll as a frost spell twisted my way. Solas smacked it away with a gust of fire, his eyes dark and steady on the Venatori.

Two others came up to me, one with a book and another with his staff. The book's dangerous, get the book, hurry-hurry! Because that meant the mage could cast without his hands and could spawn glyphs faster than his mates. With heels skipping across the ground, the maul's handle on my hip, I dashed forward, ducking under the mage with the staff and gunning for the bookworm. Glyphs formed in front of him, his figure fading.

I launched my maul at him, releasing it with a half-cocked swing. It startled him enough that he clutched his book to his chest and the glyph faded from sight. Swift as I could manage, I yanked my dagger from my belt and rocketed forward, catching the mage in his stomach and ripping it down, the hilt caught on the robes and skin, slicing down only an inch or so.

Shock struck him, his gasp nearly silent. He dropped to his knees, scrambling to keep his book with him, the other mage preoccupied with Solas. My hands were slick with blood, but I was quick enough to kick his book away with an awkward mule-kick and punched him across the face hard enough with my gauntlets to strike him unconscious.

I am going to need some serious therapy if I ever get back, murder should not come so easy.

My lungs were struggling, hitched with dry, heaving inhales. My organs felt on fire and the blood was already crusting on my hands from the cold winter wind. Finding my maul, I dragged it out of the snow and found Solas sweating heavily, his shoulders shaking from the use of his magic. Ice shards crested his staff and I hurried toward him, careful to keep my hands to myself.

"We're ready to fire!" One of the Inquisition yelled.

"Fire!" I screamed, my voice cracking on the letters. Head turning, I searched for my companions again, the Inquisition soldiers spotting the area. The trebuchet groaned and grunted as it was prepped and then the scream of gears as it was released, the ropes swinging tightly with its load soaring into the mountainside.

"They need help on the other side!" A soldier called from further away, toward the other trebuchet. I sped ahead of Solas, my maul on my shoulder and the thundering steps of Bull followed on my heels as we made our way past their side. There you are! Getting to the other trebuchet was a trial, more mages peppered up from the lower region. One glance at the siege weapon told me enough.

"Fuck!" I shouted, dashing toward the machine. "It's not prepared! Cover me!"

"Herald, wait!" Blackwall roared, the clank of sword to staff echoing after.

"No time!" Bull answered him, "Do as she says!" He grunted as he brought his maul across three bodies with a single swing. Long and painful strides got me to the platform, my maul was dropped at my feet as I gripped the handle to bring the sling into the guide chute. The mechanism fought with me, my weight the only source of power I had to keep turning. It was an agonizing minute or so before the sling was fully secured down into the chute. I locked it in place and turned, my hair flying into my face.

"Bull!" I blared, looking for him. His figure appeared a little further off, but he came charging toward me at full speed, the last opponent at his arm having his neck snapped in the process. The Qunari was a few feet from me before I pointed to the compacted loads used as ammunition for the trebuchet. He understood well enough and hurried to obey, dragging the weight into the sling. Solas and Blackwall kept the mages at bay, slowly backing up toward us.

"Solas, fire!" I commanded, voice shaking as I prepped the launch. The load was set ablaze and with a vicious kick of my heel, I released the sling. The flames whistled past us through the chute as the counter-balance brought its full weight forward and the sky lit with the fireball.

It crashed into the mountainside. Seconds past and then the echoing crack of the avalanche rumbled through the valley's pass. Trees were swallowed and the torches of the invading force were rapidly blinking out as the snow and rocks smothered them with each passing moment. Cheers were thrown up around me, hollers of victory and relief, my men celebrating their survival.

My shoulders slumped and I brought my blood-covered hands to my forehead, sighing in relief. The majority of the forces would be dead (now I'm a mass murderer, joys), the battle would be easier to control once they funneled into Haven –

Then, from the pitch black sky, a comet of fire shrieked toward us. Bull barely managed to snag me in his arms and forced us into the snowbank as the comet crashed into the trebuchet. The wood howled as it was splintered, chunks and pieces flying everywhere, even catching a few unfortunate souls in their descent. The siege weapon's wood was hissing in flame, the metal flash-melted and morphed into useless shapes.

"The fuck was that!" I demanded, digging my way out from under Bull. A shadow soared past us, its form long and massive against the ground. My thoughts scattered at the sight, the wings breathing with sharp thrusts over our heads, the roar of the beast deafening. I looked up in time only to see its tail whip through the dark night.

"We can't fight that!" Blackwall warned, picking up men from the ground. "Herald!"

"Get to the gates!" I ordered heatedly, Bull at my back and maul back in my hands. "Run!" Bull's hand shoved itself into the small of my back, rushing me forward. Unbelievably, I smacked his hand away and forced myself into a run, trailing behind my soldiers as they made their retreat. The exhales of the creatures wings blew down onto our backs, the shadow shooting over the snow. A roar cracked my ears.

Holy fuck, we're dead, we're fucked, we're so fucked!

Harritt stood at his door, slamming his foot against the fallen crates. Blackwall hurried ahead and assisted the man, bringing his axe clear over his head, up to his toes in height and slammed down on the crate and door, crashing it open. Bull and Solas continued with me to the gates, dogging my footsteps to keep me from falling behind.

"Move it!" Cullen shouted, waving us through the gates. "Move! Hurry!" I skidded through the door, one heel thrown out from under me making me fall briefly, I latched onto the gate's handle with a wild flail and managed to stand just as Blackwall and Harritt pulled through, my Warden shoving his weight against me and shutting the door swiftly.

"We need everyone back to the Chantry!" Cullen shouted, storming his way up the stairs. "It's the only building that can hold against that — beast!"

"Cullen," my voice shook as I followed him up the stairs. The Commander stopped and glared at me briefly, anger and the twitch of desperation pulling at his mouth. "Cullen! What do we do? It's a fucking — it's a dragon!"

"At this point…" Cullen exhaled roughly, exhaustion flooding him, "just make them work for it." He left up the stairs, yelling at soldiers as he went, commanding them to retreat. Turning on my heel slightly, I glanced at my men, all three of them shifted their gazes to me. My bottom lip trembled slightly, fear starting to creep up through my bones.

"Get the people to the Chantry, I…" My eyes closed and my hands curled into fists. The dried blood felt like gloves over my fingers. They gripped harder and I squared my shoulders. Not this time. We didn't save the world only to lose it to some piece of ninny asshole and his thugs. As long as the dragon doesn't land on us.

Fuckity fuck. I rolled my shoulders, keeping them tight and raised my head, my molars clenched for a long moment.

"Get the people to the Chantry." I ordered, leveling my gaze to the three of them. "Save who you can, but don't waste time searching for too long. Get inside, stay inside, hear me?"

"What are you doing?" Blackwall demanded, voice low with a hard step toward me. I raised a hand and planted it on his chest, keeping him at bay, doing my best to keep my expression from crumbling.

"Find my people. Keep them safe. Get them to the Chantry." I pushed at his chest lightly and turned to Solas and Bull, hesitating. My gaze settled on Bull, "Get the Chargers to the Chantry, whoever is left. Fortify the doors and go down to the dungeons. Hold out as long as you can."

"Boss," Bull breathed, but I ignored him and turned to Solas.

"Do not think for a second you could send me away." Solas growled at me, vicious rage on his face, morphing his eyes into something wicked. "If this is to be the end, then we shall make it excruciating for them."

"Good plan," I nodded. The two of us spared nothing else for my other companions and took hurried leaps through the courtyard. Doors were slammed open, people pulled out from fires and fallen debris. Blackwall marching off at breaking speed to gather who he could, and Bull soon disappeared from my sight to collect his men.

I know they're angry, I found Adan and hurried to get him free, my mind racing. I know they're angry, but I can't I can't afford the emotion right now. I have to there's got to be something we can do. We can't just dig into the hole to die, buried in our self-made grave. More people fled to the Chantry and Solas and I cleared the courtyard of who we could.

The place was starting to become overrun as demonic, deformed mages were appearing in the horde, spells were starting to overwhelm what few soldiers who stood to ward off the approaching advance. Solas and I turned our tails and sped toward the Chantry. The doors were held open, a familiar voice yelling over the chaos.

"Move!" Roderick hollered, waving people in, his face bruised and bleeding. "Keep going! The Chantry is your shelter!"

"Roderick!" I exclaimed in surprise. I reached for the man without thought, the chill of my darkened hands noticeable against his skin and robes. He collapsed to a knee and coughed, blood splattering from his lips. The mage who had come to warn us immediately beside him, pulling Roderick to his feet.

"A brave man," the mage told me, helping Roderick over to a seat as the doors slammed shut behind us, "he stood against a Venatori."

"Roderick," I abolished weakly. That explains his Picasso face, Christ.

Roderick shook his head, "Briefly. I am no Templar." I followed them to a nearby support pillar, helping the mage set Roderick into the chair. Upon closer inspection in the torch light, I could see scorch marks along his robes, his sleeves were torn and the blood had dried at the collar around his mouth.

"What were you thinking," I muttered to him, ripping some of his sleeves to make what swaths of bandages I could for the damage. The mage blinked at me, surprised. I've been monster enough for the day, Roderick doesn't need lip from me right now.

"Herald!" Cullen's voice reverberated down through the Chantry's hallway, he jogged over to us, eyes momentarily on Roderick before flashing to me. "Our position is not good. That dragon stole back any time you might have earned us."

"No fucking shit, Cullen —" I stood, glaring at him.

The doors to the Chantry opened again, the last of the Chargers filing in hastily with bodies thrown over their shoulders or draped across their arms. Bull looked bloodier than when I left him and his one eye scanned the Chantry before he spotted me. Relief seem to flood his expression for a moment before it steeled and he stormed after his men, commanding them.

"There has been no communication, no demands." Cullen watched the Qunari go, counting heads as the Chargers went past. "Only advance after advance."

"There was no bargaining with the mages, either." Our newcomer interrupted with a scoff. "This Elder One takes what it wants. From what I gathered in Redcliffe, it marched all of this way to take your Herald." Exasperated and exhausted, I raised my arms to drop them against my sides, my body throbbing with pain and my head about to burst.

"If you've got the faintest idea why the fuck he's after me, I'd be overjoyed to hear it." I snapped, my irritation boiling just under my lungs. "Because it's over, the Breach is closed."

"Well, that, and taking the Templars — I've no idea what would incur this much wrath." The mage's eyes flickered over my shoulder. A small glance of my own followed and I found my men, Bull and Blackwall, with Solas not too far off, watching and listening.

The mage chuckled, shaking his head, "And you lot had such a promising start with the landslide. If only trebuchets remained an option."

"They are," Cullen breathed with a sharp look to me, "if we turn the last of them to the mountains above us."

"Cullen, we're fucked." I answered him, gesturing behind me with a wave of my hand, "If we hit them, we kill ourselves doing so." The Commander's face darkened and he step toward me, close enough that our faces were a hand's length apart, his voice low and rumbling, pained.

"This is not survivable now," he growled into my face, "the only choice left is how spitefully we end this." Bull's face came to view a few paces behind the Commander's shoulder and my heart thudded in my chest, twisting to escape between my ribs.

No. We're not running. I'm done running!

My focus returned to Cullen's face, my head shaking as I stepped away from him. The nerves of my hands fired enough to make them shake, the sour chill of some sick heartache and anxiety took the place of my runaway heart, filling the void with a loneliness I hadn't felt in months.

I don't want to lose any of you.

"Well," the mage's voice broke in between us, drawing our attention away from each other. "That's not acceptable. I didn't race here only to have you drop rocks on my head."

"Should we submit?" Cullen challenged darkly, turning toward the mage. "Let him kill us?"

"Dying is typically a last resort, not first!" The newcomer barked back, sculpted eyebrows frowning. "For a Templar, you think like a blood mage!"

"Hey!" I kept them apart with a shove of my hands on their chests.

"There is a path," Roderick gasped, holding up a hand. I glared at the men before my feet brought me to Roderick, my hand reaching out and holding his palm in mine, the copper red of old blood stark against his paling skin. He looked to me, struggling, "You wouldn't know it was there unless you'd made the summer pilgrimage, as I have."

A cough choked him, his fingers tight over mine. "The people can escape. Sh — she must have shown me. Andraste must have shown me so I could… tell you."

"What are you talking about, old man?" I murmured. He tugged at my hand and reluctantly, I assisted him to his feet. He trembled against me and leaned his weight parallel to my leg. Best as I could, I held him up as he spoke, his mouth wobbling as he formed his words.

"It was whim that I walked the path, I did not mean to start, it was overgrown." Another cough, with another spatter of blood that stained my hands, blotching them bright with new flecks. "Now, with so many in the Conclave dead, to be the only one who remembers… I don't know, Herald."

Tears pricked the corners of my eyes. His face was paling, his eyes fading at their edges, his focus was starting to waver in the light. My hand stayed in his, my other coming around his back to hold his other elbow to steady him, alarmed now that I could recognize the sounds of a slowly dying man, undone not by weapon, but by time.

"If this — simple memory can save us, this could be more than mere accident," Roderick mumbled to me, loud enough only for my ears. "You could be more." I searched his face, but the usual contempt had been stripped by his pain, he held onto my shoulder, weakened and demoralized. My arms squeezed him in half a hug.

My gaze flashed to Cullen, "What about it, Cullen? Will it work?"

Bull and Blackwall stiffened like boards just outside of my vision, their paranoia over my safety more than likely bringing them up to speed with the plan forming in my head. Cullen glanced over my face warily, his mouth hard over his teeth. If we can do this, if we can pull this off, think of all the people we'll save, Cullen.

You don't need me anymore. The Breach is closed.

"Possibly," Cullen said slowly, "If he shows us the path, but… what of your escape?" I ignored him, and the low rumbling growl I could hear from Bull came rolling within the shadows of the fading torches. Instead, with gentle hands, I led Roderick over to the mage, passing him over and letting go with my fingers shaking.

"Perhaps you can surprise The Elder One." The newcomer eyed me with awe. A weak smile touched my lips, should have seen me when I started this shit. What a mess.

Cullen gritted his teeth, but turned to the soldiers and Chargers, "Inquisition! Follow Chancellor Roderick through the Chantry! Move!" Bull flicked a hard hand at his men, Lieutenant Aclassi far from pleased, but they obeyed and began to pack and move, following Cullen and the others.

"Herald," Roderick drew my gaze to him, his voice soft, "If you are meant for this, if the Inquisition is meant for this, I pray for you."

I forced a half-hearted smile to my lips, nodding my head. "... thank you, Roderick." More soldiers trotted past me, my eyes widened at the sight, but Cullen manifested at my elbow and took a hold of it, turning me toward him.

"They'll load the trebuchets. Keep The Elder One's attention until we're above the treeline," He informed me, voice weakening. "If we are to have a chance — if you are to have a chance — let that thing hear you."

I nodded. Christ. Fuck. What am I doing? Cullen pulled away and leveled me with a final, searching look before he turned on his heel and marched to the end of the Chantry with the mage and Roderick. My eyes found the men waiting for me, their faces twisted with anger, or in Bull's case, apathy.

My heart stuttered in my chest, ashamed.

"... how about it, guys?" I asked my silent watchers, voice cracking. "What's one more round, eh?"

"You're insane if you think I'm leaving you now." Blackwall snapped at me, sword and shield brandished in his hands. "I told you before. Where you go, I follow."

"We've come this far." Solas murmured, less anger, but with a sympathy I couldn't place. "I will see this to its end, with you."

"People, demons, or dragons," Bull answered, expression closed, "told you I'm your man for the job."

"Right," I choked, biting the inside of my cheek and exhaling hard before turning toward the doors, my hand coming up to pull my maul from its holster.

"Let's give 'em hell, boys."