Apart from the occasional bandits and wild animals, the journey to Vigil's Keep remained uneventful. Those who recognized the Hero of Ferelden scurried away; those who didn't, well, they met the Maker far sooner than expected.
Elisa gazed at the acres of farmland they passed by. The memory of traveling this area as a child crossed her mind. She and Fergus often pestered their mother if they were close. And upon arriving at Vigil's Keep, they competed on who got out of the carriage first. After a quick scolding from mother, Fergus ran off to find the oldest of the Howe children, Nathaniel, and she did the same. The first to find him was the winner — a strange game that only made sense to their younger selves.
Nathaniel Howe.
Elisa's brows furrowed. It had been, what, more a decade since she last thought of him. He left without even saying goodbye. She only learned from his younger sister, Delilah, that he left for the Free Marches to be squired by some Chevalier relative or something.
Whatever happened to promises of running away and traveling Thedas as mercenaries?
Her chest tightened and she shook her head. No, she wasn't going to think of about him. No more of her silly little infatuation and daydreams. "It doesn't matter anymore," she muttered.
"What doesn't?"
Elisa's shoulders jerked. Her head turned to Loghain who rode his horse beside hers. He stared with his brow raised.
"Nothing." She sighed. "Just lost in thought." She settled back to admiring the scenery, thinking of anything but her childhood friend.
Loghain's horse halted just as Caena started growling, her teeth bared and poised to tackle anything that came their way. He reached for the hilt of his sword as he scanned the vicinity.
Elisa strained to hear any sound but their surroundings answered only with eerie silence. Then, her body stiffened at the tingling in her veins. "Feel that?"
Loghain side-glanced to her. "Feel what?"
Her brows furrowed. Strange, Loghain should have sensed them. "Let's hurry."
The horses galloped toward the Keep with Caena following not far behind. As they neared their destination, several men scampered toward them with two Genlocks and a Hurlock not far behind.
Dismounting, Loghain bashed the Hurlock with his shield and plunged his sword deep into its chest. As a genlock raised its twisted sword to strike him from behind, Caena tackled the creature, sharp teeth tearing it to shreds.
The older Warden blocked and parried the last of the genlock's attacks, ending the darkspawn's life with two arrows that flew past Loghain and struck it on the forehead. Behind him, Elisa slung her bow over her shoulder after dismounting her horse.
One of the fleeing men nearly clung to her upon approach. "It's you! The Hero of Ferelden! Oh thank the Maker!"
Loghain sheathed his sword as he joined them. "What happened here? The other Wardens, where are they?"
"I-I don't know," the man said, glancing back to the looming walls of the Keep. "They came out of nowhere and attacked before the other Wardens could sense them."
"The Wardens didn't sense them?" Elisa's brows furrowed.
The man shook his head.
She scowled. "I see. Get yourselves to safety."
As soon as the men left, Loghain shifted his gaze to his Commander. "The Archdemon's dead. Why are the darkspawn organizing an ambush? How could they even ambush Wardens of all people?"
"I don't know." Elisa poked the nearest darkspawn corpse with her foot, searching for any unusual features. "They don't look any different from the ones we've fought before." She frowned. What in the bloody Maker's name is going on? "Let's press on. We'll find answers soon enough."
~oOo~
Chaos engulfed the entire courtyard of the fortress . Servants fled while the remaining soldiers fought the darkspawn that came out from Maker-knows-where.
Loghain cursed under his breath as he and the Commander's mabari rushed to the thick of battle. He rammed a genlock with his shield before the creature could strike a soldier's flank.
As the shorter darkspawn stumbled to the ground, the rest of its kind turned their attention to him. Caena then covered his blindspots, gnawing and clawing at enemies attempting to attack Loghain from behind.
"Look out!" Elisa shouted as a fireball wheezed between Loghain and Caena, nearly missing them by an inch. In the backlines, an Emissary's staff glowed as it shot fireball after fireball at the mabari, the latter jumping side to side, barely evading the spells.
Loghain tried to push past the darkspawn but two hurlocks faced him head-on, their swords poised to strike. His shield blocked their attacks but he couldn't find an opening. Dammit! He gritted his teeth as the creatures pushed him back right where the darkspawn mage could get a clear shot.
An arrow flew past him and pierced through the Emissary's shoulder. The latter staggered as the orange glow dissipated from the its fingertips. Behind the Keep's soldiers, Elisa fired two more arrows coated with questionable liquid, puncturing the Emissary's chest and completely immobilizing it on the spot.
Without a leader to direct them, the remaining darkspawn were rendered confused and disorganized, acting merely out of instinct rather than with purpose. Loghain took advantage of the situation and bashed one hurlock with his shield. As the enemy stumbled, he rushed toward the darkspawn mage, and slashed his sword in a wide arc, slicing its head off.
Upon the Emissary's death, the rest of the soldiers managed to dispose of the remaining creatures with relative ease.
Elisa turned to the soldiers and servants huddled in the corner. Particularly, she checked the wounded. "Get yourselves to safety.," she told them, and they followed without question and fled to the gates.
"They could be tainted," Loghain said.
She shook her head. "No, they weren't. I didn't sense anything."
He scowled but followed his Commander as she marched ahead. I hope you're right...
The two Wardens ventured further to the Keep's interior, only for their path to be blocked by a closed gate. Loghain cursed under his breath then surveyed the vicinity. To his left, he spotted a lever on the upper floor, most likely the one used to open the gates. "There."
Elisa followed his gaze then shifted her focus to the stairs to leading above. "We find the lever and the bloody Maker blocks it with debris. Lovely."
"Since when has the Maker made things easy for anyone?" Loghain huffed then shifted his attention to the right side. There was another door, fortunately unhindered. It could lead them inside, or a dead end. Either way, better than standing here like fools.
He tapped the other Warden's shoulder. "This way."
Just as they opened the door to a small jail room, a blonde man blasted flames from his hands against a hurlock until it staggered back and collapsed onto the floor. He shook the residual heat from his fingers then turned around.
"Oh." The mage eyed the corpses surrounding him which included some men in templar armor. "Uh... I didn't do it."
Loghain narrowed his eyes.
"I swear to Andraste's holy bosoms, it was the darkspawn," the mage added then mumbled, "though, I'm pretty sure they had it coming... bunch of self-righteous pricks..."
"Not fond of them I take it?" Elisa said.
The mage waved his hands. "Oh, don't get me wrong! I'm terribly broken up about it." He jerked his head to the side and grinned. "But Biff there made the funniest gurgle when he went down." He side-stepped toward the door but Loghain raised his sword.
"Don't. Move."
The mage gulped.
Elisa gripped the other Warden's sword-arm. "Now, now. No need for violence. He's certainly not tainted."
"The taint isn't my concern. It's the potential danger he poses. Surrounded by templar corpses is a very damning evidence." Loghain's grip on the hilt tightened. "How can we be certain he won't attack us the moment we turn our backs?"
"All right. I'll check the bodies. Just calm down." Elisa fixed each of them a pointed look between her fellow Warden and the blonde mage before bending down in front of the templar corpses. Her fingers traced the jagged wounds covering their bodies. "Definitely darkspawn."
"Of course they are!" Anders said. "I don't even know how to use a sword!"
Hesitantly, Loghain lowered his blade but his gaze trained the mage's every move.
The mage turned to Elisa. "Are all your friends this suspicious?"
"Mostly him." The corners of Elisa's lips twitched. "Paranoia's part of his instinct."
The mage side-glanced to the other Warden. "Sure he's not a templar in disguise?"
Loghain muttered through gritted teeth, "it's not too late for me to start." Why is she even entertaining him?
Elisa cleared her throat. "Who are you exactly? And what are you doing here?"
The mage bowed. "You may call me Anders my dear lady. I am a mage, and sadly, a wanted apostate."
Elisa rubbed her chin. "That explains the templars."
"Indeed. We were just stopping here on our way back to the tower. 'Just a short rest,' they said. And now they're dead." Anders shrugged. "Such a shame."
Loghain snorted. "How convenient."
"Isn't it though?" Anders smiled slowly. "The Maker works in mysterious ways."
Elisa coughed but her lips quivered as it restrained from smiling. "In any case, how good are you with healing spells?"
Anders rested his hands on his waist as he puffed his chest. "My expertise actually."
Loghain's brow twitched. Those line of questions… She's not considering... "Commander, I suggest—"
Elisa raised her hand, promptly silencing him. "Then perhaps we can come to an arrangement?"
Anders pursed his lips. "What sort of arrangement?"
"We might find more survivors further in," Elisa said. "Come with us. We can use your help. After that, you're free to leave."
He remained silent for a moment, studying her with his brow raised. "And... if the Chantry asks?"
She shrugged. "We never saw you."
He chuckled. "Daring to risk the Grand Cleric's ire? A woman after my own heart."
"So..." She raised her hand to shake. "Do we have a deal?"
Silent, Anders eyed her hand before shaking it. "Deal." He grinned.
Loghain watched the entire scene in disbelief. His Commander could very well be a demon in disguise with how she easily persuaded the apostate to help them. She certainly swayed you, his mind told him and he huffed at that. Despite one's awareness of her machinations, one could not deny that the options she presented would be the best choice. Give her two years and an envoy of diplomats, and she'd be conquering nations without bloodshed..
"Let's go," Elisa said as she led them to the next room. "And be ready."
~oOo~
The door swung open, halting the darkspawn from approaching a pile of tables and chairs. Loghain charged forward and slammed one hurlock against the wall with his shield. Meanwhile, Caena tackled a genlock and tore it to shreds as Elisa shot three successive arrows at the remaining Hurlock, one struck the eye and two its skull.
Two injured servants cowered in one corner of the room, shielding themselves with piled up wooden tables and chairs. Anders approached them slowly. "It's all right. We're here to help."
One of the survivors — a lad no older than fifteen — peeked from behind his hands. The other servant — a middle-aged woman — followed suit and pushed aside their barrier.
As the healer patched up their wounds and Loghain examined them for any signs of taint, Elisa paced back and forth in front of another door with her lips downturned. Something's wrong... she thought.
"Sensing anything?" Loghain stood beside her once he was sure that the two survivors left.
She nodded. "It's the taint... but it's not?"
. "It's the taint, but it's not..?" It was Anders' turn to ask, his head tilted to the side.
She shifted her gaze to the mage. "Grey Warden thing. It's… complicated."
Loghain sighed. "Better than nothing. How many?"
"Five." But two of them... Her jaws clenched. Their taint sang but of different tune. What are these darkspawn? "Keep your guard up," She readied her bow and led the rest of her companions up the ramparts.
It turned out that while there were indeed five darkspawn guarding the ramparts, one of them was an Alpha and another an Emissary. Elisa cursed under her breath. How could she have missed this! She aimed a poison-coated arrow at the Emissary but another Hurlock blocked it with a shield.
The Alpha swung its large hammer at Loghain. The latter raised his shield just in time, but the impact sent him stumbling back. Three genlocks rushed past the larger darkspawn and lunged their twisted swords as his guard lowered.
Elisa cursed under her breath and switched her arrow's aim from the Emissary to one of the smaller darkspawn, Just as she was about to release the bowstring, the stone floor glowed as glyph appeared under Loghain's feet, knocking back all four creatures to the ground.
The tip of the Emissary's staff glowed and the barrier protecting Loghain began to weaken; however, before it could completely break the spell, frost crept from under its feet and climbed up until ice encased its body. At the backline, Anders chanted as pebbles gathered around his hands, forming a small boulders. He hurled them at the darkspawn mage, shattering it to pieces.
Elisa couldn't help but whistle. "Impressive." Wynne and Morrigan had used a similar spell from time to time, but never to that effect.
Anders bowed with a flourish. "What can I say? I am a mage of many talents."
"We're not done here." Loghain reminded the two as he smacked one genlock to the ground and pierced its gut.
With both warrior and mabari's attention elsewhere, the Alpha slipped past them, charging straight to Elisa and Anders.
Loghain sliced the head of the last genlock and turned around. "Commander!"
Anders fumbled to cast another spell, but there was no time. The large darkspawn loomed over them with it hammer raised to smash. Elisa reached for her dagger and bolted toward the Alpha, piercing through a gap on its flank.
Black ichor spurted and the darkspawn howled as it swung its hammer wildly, Elisa barely evading as she rolled to the side.
Earning its ire, the Alpha stomped toward the Warden Commander, gripping the hammer tightly as it poised to crush her bones. "Die…"
Elisa's eyes widened. Did it just…
Ice from the ground trapped the Alpha's feet just as a blade pierced through from its back. More of the black ichor spurted out as the darkspawn howled and hiss before finally dropping on the floor along with its hammer.
Elisa panted as she stared at the corpse, eyes glued on the dark fluid staining the stone floor. Her fingers twitched and tightened on her dagger. Was it really dead? What if…
"Commander?"
She blinked and slowly tilted her head up to meet Loghain's gaze, his brows furrowed. He held out a hand and said, "are you injured?"
Elisa shook her head, more to regain her focus rather than answer his query. Reaching for his hand, she allowed him to pull her up. "And you?" She regarded each of her companions.
"Few scratches, but nothing serious," Loghain said as Caena barked her assent.
"Not a single hair harmed, thanks to you." Anders grinned.
Elisa smiled slightly to the mage but her gaze trailed back to the Alpha corpse. "Did you hear it?" she asked Loghain.
"Hear what?" He said and followed her gaze.
Maybe it's just me. She shook her head. "Nevermind. Let's keep going."
The four passed through room after room with darkspawn lurking around, but Elisa heard none of them spoke like the Alpha they faced earlier. Perhaps it was her imagination at work. Convinced, she regained her focus as she shot arrow after arrow at a distance while Loghain and Caena directly engaged the rest of the darkspawn.
Loud clashing of steels against one another echoed as they charged into another room. There could be more soldiers inside, Elisa thought. Instead, they were greeted certain red-haired dwarf as he fought several darkspawn.
The dwarf swung his axe in wide-arcs slashing the hurlocks' bellies and even decapitating a genlock's head. He turned to the group and waved enthusiastically just as the darkspawn staggered and dropped onto the floor.
Elisa bit her lower lip but she couldn't stop the grin slowly forming on her lips. After months surrounded by strangers in a foreign land, it was nice to see another old comrade, even if it was the drunk dwarf. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but it's good to see you Oghren."
"Neither can I," Loghain muttered dryly, and his Commander lightly jabbed his side with her elbow.
"Heh." Oghren leaned forward on the balcony. "When these darkspawns showed up, i told them, just you wait 'til the new commander gets here and you'll all be spitting teeth out of your arses!"
That got a chuckle and a snort from Anders, and Elisa had to stifle her own laughter.
"Odd place for you to show up," she said, "weren't you with the army?"
"Been here for two weeks now. Thought I'd try my hand at becoming a bona fide Grey Warden." Oghren pulled out his flask and drank some dubious liquid then offered it to the group. "What d'ya say?"
"No thanks." Loghain said with a deep scowl, and Elisa suspected he meant it for both offers.
Oghren shifted his attention to the older Warden, his eyes narrowing. "Huh, surprised he's still alive and kicking."
"I could ask the same thing about you dwarf," Loghain replied dryly.
Elisa stepped in before these two got on each others' nerves. "Gentlemen, we're in the middle of an ambush. Petty squabbles later, yes?" She fixed each warrior a pointed look.
Oghren grumbled something dwarven — she couldn't recognize what exactly. "Fine, fine. Just warning you, he might go all Zevran one of these days." He stood upright and raised his battleaxe. "Now let's introduce some darkspawn arses to my foot."
The group — now five — continue further down the narrow halls. Oghren and Caena guarded the front while Loghain stayed at the rear in case something snuck behind them. Anders stayed in the middle with the Warden Commander, staff ready to cast a barrier in case darkspawn attacked them on both sides.
However, not a single enemy showed up.
Elisa's muscles twitched at the eerie silence of the area. Why wasn't she sensing anything? Were they going the wrong way?
Then her blood began to tingle, vibrating a soft tune against her skin. She suddenly drew her weapon, prompting both Loghain and Anders to ready theirs.
"Over here!" Oghren shouted.
The three rushed over to the dwarf only to halt mid-step upon spotting an injured soldier on the floor. Swaying, the man tilted his head up and gasped upon seeing The Hero of Ferelden. "Commander..."
Elisa pushed past Oghren and bent down to examine the soldier. Still breathing, perhaps, there's enough time to save him. "Anders, can you heal him?"
The mage knelt on the other side of the soldier, and hovered his hands over the wound on his stomach. He shook his head. "There's nothing I can do. He's beyond healing magic."
"Just enough to stop the bleeding," Elisa said insistently.
"I can't. Something's blocking my spells," Anders replied. "His body won't let me."
"But—"
"It's the taint," Loghain said upon joining them, his gaze fixed on the soldier. Yet, she knew, she just knew, it was meant for her, a reminder — a lecture — about the currency of war.
And that infuriated her. Yes, this man was a soldier, and death was an expected possibility in such occupation, but this was… unnecessary! It could've been completely avoided had she come here sooner, had she been quicker in dispatching the other darkspawn. She could have been, she had the capabilities, but she sided with caution instead, and took her time with a bow when she could've used a sword and sliced through the hordes of monsters blocking their path.
"We only had a moment's warning before they were on us." The soldier coughed and wheezed, and Anders' glowing hands hovered over the soldier's chest, allowing the latter to breathe a bit easier.
"How?" Elisa said, her voice soft, almost a whisper, as though speaking louder would injure the man further.
The soldier took deep breaths. "They came out of the ground… One of them… A talking darkspawn."
Like the Alpha earlier.
On the side, Oghren shook his head. "A talking darkspawn? This lad's delirious."
The soldier tried to speak about the seneschal only to be cut off by screams of agony as he writhed on the floor.
Elisa turned to the mage. "Anders—"
"I'm trying!" Anders' brows knitted as his hand glowed brighter. The soldier stopped screaming but pain in his features was far too evident. The Taint would soon consume his mind, driving him to insanity should fate deny him the mercy of death.
Elisa couldn't leave him like this. No one deserved the agony wrought upon the darkspawn's filth. She reached for her dagger. "Tell me your name, soldier."
He breathed heavily, struggling to keep his eyes open. "R-rowland... Commander."
"Rest easy Ser Rowland. You have done enough."
Rowland nodded upon seeing the dagger she raised. Smiling softly, he closed his eyes. "It was an honor to have met you."
"May the Maker watch over you." Elisa kept it as clean and quick as she could. This was something she could at least offer a man who had done nothing but do his duty — like the soldiers in Castle Cousland as they bled and burned while she, completely powerless, fled with the Grey Warden. They haunted her, their voices mocking her weakness even to this day…
No. Not anymore.
She picked up Rowland's sword and stood, Echoes of voices called to her at a distance, but they all fell on deaf ears. At this point, only the death of these vile monsters consumed her thoughts.
~oOo~
Loghain cursed under his breath as the Warden Commander charged to the next room. Maker's breath, what's the matter with her! Does she have a death wish?
"Let's go," he told rest of their companions.
They managed to catch up as they climbed up the stairs leading to a wider and longer hallway, only to halt in their footsteps at the sight of the carnage brought upon the darkspawn. Several of the creatures already lay on the ground, black ichor staining the wood with each creature missing a limb or two. At the end of the hall, Elisa moved quick on her feet, dodging every attack and returning the favor by decapitating their heads. Her left arm bled from a deep cut, but she didn't seem to care.
Loghain found his feet frozen on the spot. Never had he seen this woman so vicious and destructive, even during the Blight. Then again, neither had he seen her engaging enemies in the frontlines, opting to remain at the back with her bow while issuing orders.
Unperturbed, Oghren charged ahead his battleaxe raised, as Caena followed not far behind. Anders hesitated but followed suit, telling the dwarf, "has she always been like this?"
Oghren snorted. "Ya ain't seen nothin' yet."
Questions flooded Loghain's mind but all had to wait once everything settled.
Upon entering the rooftop, a couple more of darkspawn corpses littered the floor, facing the same fate as the previous corpses in the hallway. Loghain's blood hummed a familiar tune, and he raised his hand to halt his three companions from venturing further. Should there be enemies, steels clanking would've echoed around. However, he only heard some footsteps and a rough awkward voice speaking.
Carefully, he pressed himself against the wall as he spied the area.
Ahead, Elisa stood silently, her grip on the sword tightening. In front of her, one darkspawn held an older man in heavy armor while another hovered a blade over the captive's neck.
The last one, a unusual-looking Hurlock Alpha, spoke slowly, as though speech was something foreign to it. "Not one more step."
Loghain swallowed. A talking darkspawn? So it was more than just the ramblings of a delirious man.
"We are wishing not to do more than is necessary," the creature said.
"What do you want?" Elisa said.
"You, Warden."
Silence fell, then the Commander's sword clanked against the stone floor.
Loghain reached for the hilt of his blade. Parleying with a darkspawn? Is she serious!
"Mage," he called Anders over.
The latter huffed. "I have a name you know."
Loghain ignored his response. "That darkspawn holding a sword. When I give the signal, freeze it in place."
Anders glanced at his target and nodded.
Oghren gripped his battleaxe. "Let's shut it up already!" He shouted, far too loudly it caught the darkspawn's attention.
"Kill them!" The Alpha shouted.
Loghain cursed. Now or never. "Anders!"
Ice engulfed the darkspawn before it could slit the captive's throat. Elisa pulled her dagger out and stabbed the other darkspawn's shoulder. The creature howled, loosening its grip on their captive. She then kicked its gut hard, sending the creature tumbling to the floor. Caena jumped on top of the toppled darkspawn as her teeth tore it to pieces.
The Alpha clashed against the dwarf, the twisted blade of its broadsword clanking as it struck the silverite battleaxe. One of its wild swings slashed Oghren's arm, the latter cursing loudly.
Loghain rammed his shield against the Alpha's flank. The darkspawn staggered but regained its footing and blocked Loghain's sword just as the latter thrust it.
Elisa picked up her discarded sword and charged behind the darkspawn. Gritting her teeth, she buried the blade deep into its back. The Alpha hissed and howled as it dropped its broadsword.
With one quick swing, Loghain lopped the last of the darkspawn's head, the body crumpling to the floor.
Silence fell as both Wardens panted and watched the Hurlock Alpha's corpse. Then their gaze met, and the fury Loghain buried slowly resurfaced. He grabbed the other Warden by the shoulders. "What in the bloody Maker— you just ran off! Utterly reckless—foolish! What were you thinking?"
"The darkspawn needed to be dealt with, fast," Elisa said as though this was a simple report.
Loghain gritted his teeth. "You could've died."
"But I didn't."
"And what of the next time, hm? Think you'll still have the same fortune you had today?"
She averted her gaze. "Regardless, it is done." She shrugged his hands off and approached the captive, unbinding him and checking for injuries.
Loghain opened his mouth but fell silent when he noted that the wound on her left arm had already closed up. Unusual. He swore it the cut was so deep, it needed a healer's attention. Then again, perhaps it was merely his imagination.
"I'm all right Commander," the captive said as Elisa helped him up, "thank you for saving me. I owe you my life." He bowed lightly. "I'm Varel, seneschal of Vigil's Keep."
The group turned their attention to the road off in the distance as steel-plated armors jangled while a large group marched toward the Keep. "Soldiers," Varel said, "hopefully not as hostile as their previous guests."
End of Chapter 2