Interlude – Dying Warden
He knows he's being overbearing and unreasonable. He is old enough to recognize when he is making a bad decision. But he makes it anyway, for one key reason: he does not want any of those five to die.
He is old. He is hearing the Calling, all the clearer thanks to the Archdemon. In truth, he should have gone to the Deep Roads by now, but while there is a Blight, all hands were needed. So, he slams the heel of his palm into his temple, to knock the song out of his head temporarily, and wills himself to keep going.
Oh, he can admit that there are other reasons. He would rather die in one last battle than as an anonymous corpse in the Deep Roads. But that desire is not enough to make him foolish. He is too old for such nonsense. No, again, what drives him the most is that he is old, and they are not. He is dying, and he wants them to live.
He had heard much of Alistair from Duncan; Duncan had adored the boy, praising him often, boasting of the little achievements. Like a proud father, or a prouder uncle. And now that little boy is to become king. A Warden King, the first in history. A ruler who can give support to the Wardens, waning in recent years. Too many rolled their eyes at how Wardens were relics. Too many did not know all that Wardens sacrificed for them, spitting on their work. Daring to claim that they can do the same or better. But Alistair would be a king who would listen. That, more than anything, is what Wardens needed.
Just as they needed the other four. Aiden, a skilled commander. Nuada, a talented tactician. Cleon, a brilliant hunter. Layla, a superb mage. Each of them is unique, with an even more unique set of talents, skills. Power. That is a power that the Wardens would need in the future, as the world kept changing. That is a power that would make the people, the ignorant people, listen. That is what is needed.
Besides, the young always look better as 'heroes', and this is an age where heroes are needed. Chaos reigns, and he does not doubt that a Blight appearing after so many ages is anything but the beginning of something more. This Blight is the origin of trouble, and the origin of heroes. Those four will make better heroes than he.
(He admits privately that he does not want Loghain to die either, but that is just for selfish reasons. After all, the man is an idiot; it would be ironic and just for him to end his days as a Warden.)
With those thoughts in head, he finishes his climb up and waits. The Archdemon is close. He can hear it clearly, and he uses that song to his advantage. The Archdemon might be able to 'hear' him too, but with so much going on, it would not notice until it is too late.
The Archdemon flies below him, shouting orders to the Vanguard. He jumps down, landing perfectly on top. But the Archdemon rolls immediately, making him lose his footing. He brings his knife down, remembering where Garahel struck, according to the stories. But his footing is too poor, and he misses, simply causing a bad cut as he slips and falls.
He twists, catching the wing and trying to hold on. But the Archdemon flies straight up, and he knows he cannot hold on. So, instead, he makes a conscious choice, again. He stabs his knife into the wing, and lets go, allowing gravity to let him all but cut off the wing.
He falls, blood raining down, and he watches the sky grow farther and farther away. But he also watches the Archdemon fall and knows, so long as someone who is not a Warden does not deal the final blow, the Archdemon is pinned. The Archdemon cannot escape. The Blight will end, on this day, in this battle.
So, he closes his eyes, and smiles. Maybe this is the way old men should go, when heroes were born.
Next Chapter – Climbing Drakon with Cleon
