Chapter 8

Anders sat down, exhausted. The Grey Warden from Orlais was not going to survive his injuries. Anders had checked the other patients first and used his remaining mana in an attempt to save the Warden's life. Two of the survivors were soldiers, who were well enough to leave the infirmary with Varel.

Anders heard the door open and looked up. Beth walked in, surveyed the room and smiled at him. He smiled back thinking that she was a very attractive woman, then chastised himself. She approached and said, "How is the Warden doing?"

"I'm afraid we're losing him," he said sadly.

She looked down at the man in question and watched as he took ragged breaths. She laid a hand on the patient's forehead and sighed. "This is not going to be an easy letter to write," she said softly. "Let me know if his condition changes."

Anders nodded and watched her leave. He really wanted to get to know this strange woman.

Beth walked slowly from the infirmary to the training grounds. She was not looking forward to informing the First Warden that the dozen Wardens sent from Orlais were all either dead or missing. She turned her thoughts to the soldiers that needed training.

Dworkin approached her as she walked. "Commander, may I talk to you?" he asked.

"Certainly," she said.

"I found where the darkspawn came from. There's an opening into the Deep Roads in the catacombs beneath the Howe crypt," he said.

"We need to get that sealed off without explosives. Any suggestions?" she asked, worried.

"Well. There are security doors located at various points around the Deep Roads. If we can get to them, we should be able to make things secure," he said thoughtfully.

"It will be a good exercise for my new wardens," Beth said, thinking.

...

Margaret was sorting through the weapons and armor that were piled in the courtyard. She tossed a broken bow into the pile for repair as Beth walked up.

"We should have plenty of weapons and armor for awhile," Margaret said. "The soldiers are sparring in the training grounds waiting for you."

"I'm afraid their training will have to wait. I want you to meet me at the Howe family crypt. Dworkin has found the breech the darkspawn used to get into the Keep," Beth said. "Do you know where Nathaniel and Ohgren have disappeared to?"

"I think Nathaniel was searching the living area in the upper levels of the Keep. Ohgren was organizing the soldiers at the training area," she replied.

Beth nodded, "Thank you. I'll meet you at the crypt. Dworkin should already be there and he can explain how we are going to close the breech."

...

Nathaniel entered the room and looked around. This room used to belong his brother, Thomas. It looked nothing like he remembered. There was only a plain bed and a chest of drawers in the room. He had just closed the door to move to the next room down the hall when Beth approached.

"Nate, please come with me to the tombs," she said.

"Sure. I'm not finding anything up here anyway." He looked at her haggard face. She obviously hadn't been sleeping well and the joining ceremony must have taken quite a toll on her. "Are you sure you don't need to rest?" he asked worried.

They started walking toward the stairwell. "I am fine," she said. They descended the stairs and exited the Keep. As they approached the tomb entrance, Beth saw Margaret and Dworkin waiting for them.

"Dworkin has informed me that there is an entrance to the Deep Roads at the bottom of these catacombs. We are going to go in, verify this information and, if true, find a way to seal it." Beth sighed. "Dworkin, I want you to follow us at a distance so we can clear the way." She looked at Margaret and Nate, "If darkspawn are nearby, you will be able to sense them. Eventually, you should be able to tell how many there are and in what direction they are in."

Margaret spoke up, "Why don't we just seal the tombs here?"

Nate glared at her, "My ancestors are buried here. I'm not sealing them away. I like the Commander's plan to seal them at the catacombs depths."

Ignoring their comments, Beth opened the door to the tomb. The smell of dust and mold assailed them as they entered. They paused for a moment, letting their eyes adjust to the gloom and Beth lit the torches that hung on the walls. She took one with her and started walking toward the catacombs.

Nate looked around at the various plaques naming his ancestors. Going up to one, he gently traced the name of his mother with his finger. He jumped when Beth spoke in his ear, "We'll have a plaque made for your father, so you may at least have a remembrance of him here."

Nate looked at her with gratitude. "That would be nice. Just so the family would be together, at least in name."

They moved away from the crypt towards the catacombs. The tombs were in worsening shape the further into the catacombs that they went. The only light was provided by the flickering of the torch Beth carried. She hesitated when she felt the familiar darkspawn sensation and looked at her new Wardens. Margaret noticed it first.

"I feel like someone is watching us," she said, slowing her pace.

Nate had stopped and looked around, "I feel it too. We aren't alone. Is this what you meant by sensing the darkspawn?" he looked at Beth.

She nodded, "Yes, there are quite a few of them ahead of us."

"That means they are in the crypt!" Margaret exclaimed.

Margaret walked slowly and rounded a corner. Three darkspawn turned and charged at her. Margaret raised her shield and began hacking with her sword. Nate began rapidly firing arrows. Beth stood to one side, and although it was difficult, she held herself back to watch.

Margaret attacked with all her skill, knowing she was being tested. 'The Commander wants to know what training I need', she thought as she sliced through the darkspawn. 'Well, I'll show her. I have skills she doesn't,' and whirling around she used her shield to knock one darkspawn down as she decapitated the third.

More darkspawn joined the battle and Beth dashed in, whirling her blades. They battled for quite a while, pushing the darkspawn further into the crypt. There was a break in the attackers and Dworkin approached Beth.

"This is an ancient sealing door," he said, pointing to the intricately carved stone. "The mechanism should be around here somewhere."

"We'll keep the darkspawn off of you until you can get the door closed." She nodded to Margaret and Nate, who were breathing heavily from their battles.

Dworkin worked quickly and suddenly the stone door shuddered and sending a shower of dust and rocks began to slowly move across the opening. Beth kicked a darkspawn through the narrowing doorway and the group watched as the door sealed into place with a loud rumble.

Satisfied that they had secured the Keep, Beth turned and the group walked out of the crypt into the late afternoon sun.

...

Nate was surrounded by growling darkspawn. They advanced, menacing him with their weapons. He was too slow and there was no one to help him. As the closest darkspawn struck with its axe, Nate bolted upright in his bed. Panting and cursing, he rubbed a hand over his sweaty face. 'Beth wasn't kidding about the nightmares,' he thought. Getting out of bed, he dressed in trousers and a shirt and left his room. 'No getting back to sleep tonight,' he thought and began pacing the keep.

He found himself on the battlements. The moon was shining brightly, the sky was clear and the night air felt invigorating. He spotted Bear laying on the stone near a figure leaning against the wall. He knew it was Beth and approached her. She looked up at him. In the moonlight, he could clearly see how weary she was. "Couldn't sleep?" he asked her.

"I never sleep very long anymore," she said sadly. "How about you?"

He sat down next to her. "Bad dream."

She nodded. "The darkspawn are near, so the nightmares are more intense. You can block the nightmares eventually. It takes practice and time. Until then..." she handed him a bottle of wine that was next to her and he drank. She became quiet and Nate watched her eyes as she sat remembering.

'The older wardens say that they know how to block the nightmares, but I only am able to put them off. They also say a good stiff drink, or two will help. If you are in a safe place to sleep, you can use a sleep potion. ' She remembered his face turning a bright red as he said, 'There's also...you know...' and he winked at her. She had laughed at his embarrassment and it was then that she realized that she was falling in love with her fellow warden.

She blinked tears away and looked at Nate. He knew she was hurting about something and reached up to brush a tear away with his thumb. Impulsively, he leaned over and pressed his lips to hers. She resisted at first and then responded as the kiss deepened. Suddenly, she pulled away. "I'm sorry, Nate." More tears cascaded down her beautiful face and Nate looked at her helplessly.

"What happened?" he whispered.

She shuddered. "Everyone I have ever loved has died, except for Fergus and I've been avoiding going home for fear something will happen to him."

Nate reached out to her, pulling her tightly to him. He didn't know what to do, so he held her as tightly as he could. He felt her stiffen, then slowly she relaxed against him and she began sobbing uncontrollably.

"The one you loved must have been very special to you and I'm sorry you lost him. I don't think he would have wanted you to mourn him like this. I know I wouldn't," he caressed her hair and lifted her face to look at him. He gently kissed her salty, tear stained face. He felt her shudder, take a deep breath and she tried to pull away from him. He held her tighter. "I'm not letting you go until you get this grief out of you."

Beth felt ashamed of herself. She lost all the control she had worked so hard to build, but laying in Nate's arms, she felt safe. Her sobbing slowly ebbed and she felt exhausted. As her muscles relaxed and her breathing returned to normal, she felt Nate relax his grip. She sat back and without looking at him, whispered, "I am so sorry. I don't know why I lost control."

Nate reached over, put a hand on her chin and tilted her face to look at him. "This is me, Nate, remember? We've known each other all our lives. If you can lose control in front of anyone, it's me. Someday, you'll even be able to tell me all your wild adventures during the Blight."

Beth hiccupped and reached for the wine bottle. Taking a deep drink, she looked at the pink tinges of dawn in the sky. "You, my friend, need to practice fighting," she said.

Nate laughed and shook his head. "I know. I've only had to fight in bar room brawls or back alley skirmishes. It's been a long time since I've had to fight any real battles."

"Well, let's go," she said and stood up.

"What? Now?" he stammered.

"Yes. Go get your armor on and I'll meet you in the sparring ring," she ordered him.

He smiled broadly, said, "Yes, Commander!" and ran off.

...

Margaret awoke with a start. The nightmare had been terrible and she shuddered at the trailing memory. The sun was beginning to shine in her window, so she got out of bed slowly, her body aching from yesterday's battle and dressed in her armor. Wandering through the keep, she thought she heard voices in the training area, so she walked toward it.

Entering the sparring area, she saw Nathaniel and the Commander working out in the ring. Nate was flat on his back with the Commander's dagger to his throat.

"You need to be aware of all your surroundings, not just what's in front of you," Beth said to Nate, helping him up. "That's enough for today, but stick around," she said as she spotted Margaret, "Margaret's next."

Margaret smiled. She was eager to show the Commander exactly what she was capable of. She entered the ring and bowed to Beth. Beth smiled at Margaret and bowed. They circled each other a few times and Margaret charged. Beth easily deflected her attack and knocked her down. "Don't over extend yourself. Hold back when you charge. You may need to turn quickly."

Margaret got up, frustration showing in her eyes. She started to circle again, watching for an opening. Soldiers began gathering around the ring, attracted to the sounds of fighting. Beth circled lazily, looking like she was bored with the exercise. Margaret got angry at this attitude and charged again, but turned during her charge to swing her sword. Beth rolled away and had a dagger to Margaret's throat before she even finished swinging.

Beth backed off and sighed. "Don't let your emotions rule your fighting style. You'll lose every time. "

Anders had shown up, following the soldiers. He watched with interest as the two women sparred. Margaret was no match for Beth. He shook his head. Someone needed to put the Commander in her place. She was needlessly humiliating Margaret.

"Alright, Margaret," Beth said as she helped the woman to her feet again, "Just practice. You will get better." Beth looked at Anders. "Your turn, Anders."

"What? Me?" he said confused. "I don't fight."

"Yes, you do. You are a Grey Warden now. I want you to try to hit me with one of your offensive spells." Beth replied.

"But...I don't want to hurt you..." Anders said hesitantly.

"You forget, I have Templar skills. You won't hurt me," she said confidently. "I need to see your fighting style."

"Alright," Anders said as he entered the ring, "Just remember, you asked for it."

Anders began forming a fireball in his hands. Beth circled and he threw the blast where he anticipated her next move to be. The fireball threw up a cloud of dust from the dry ground it hit. Anders felt Beth's dagger at his throat. "You'll have to be faster than that," she said.

He smirked. 'She wants a real fight. Alright, I'll give her a real fight,' he thought and he began to cast lightning spells at her.

Beth dodged and rolled, escaping the cascade of magic Anders was throwing at her. She barely escaped one bolt when a fireball singed her hair. Smiling, she took her fighting up a notch and before Anders could react, she had gotten behind him and had her dagger at his throat. "Give up?" she teased.

"Yep!" he laughed heartily, "You win!" He turned around to look at her with new appreciation. "If you had been with the Templars when I was held at the Circle, I never would have been able to escape. You are too fast!"

She smiled. "You are very good Anders, but don't relax, keep practicing."

Beth looked at her recruits. "Ohgren, I know your skills are excellent. I would like you to lead the training."

Ohgren looked pleased with himself and bowed.

"I have Arling business to attend to this afternoon, so you can have the rest of the day to yourselves. I'll see you tomorrow morning here for practice." Beth walked out of the ring and made her way to the kitchen. She was hungry, thirsty, tired and wanted some time to herself before she had to deal with the politics.

"Beth, wait up!" Nate called. She stopped to wait for him. He looked at her nervously, then said in a rush, "I want to go to Amaranthine to visit Delilah. Is that okay?"

"Sure. If you take the horse, you can make better time," she said smiling. "Say hi to Delilah for me," and she turned back toward the kitchen.