This one had several different points of view so I gave it a title instead of just identifying the point of view. Thank you for reading and reviewing. Let me know what you all think of this one.

Zevran moved quickly though the flood of darkspawn pouring from the city gates, cutting down any darkspawn that crossed his path while keeping a close eye on Eriana. She and Leliana were perched on a rise beside the gates, thinning the herds of darkspawn with deadly accuracy. He grinned to himself as the hurlock that as charging at him dropped to the ground, a single arrow lodged in the back of its head. He gave his Warden a quick wave before beheading the genlock that was trying to move in behind him. They had rushed frantically to the gates of the city, only to arrive to find all of Denerim overrun with the horrendous creatures. With the King's armies and Eriana's allies, they worked most of the morning, cutting down the monsters that milled around the city gates. It was grueling work, but the worst was yet to come, Zevran feared.

Finally, after what seemed like hours of fighting, the tide of darkspawn died down, and they were able to take a brief rest. Zevran moved quickly to where Eriana and the other two Wardens were talking.

"I should go in alone," Riordan was saying, "I have been a Warden for much longer than you; the darkspawn will sense me easily, even more so if we are all together. You two should move into the city together, but I suggest you take no more than two other people with you. The rest of your companions need to stay and help guard the gate."

Eriana nodded and turned toward Zevran. "So, my Warden, who will we be taking with us?" Eriana was silent for a moment, but he could tell by her look what she was thinking. "Ana, don't even think about it."

"Zevran, I'm sorry, you're not coming with me this time." He moved toward her, about to protest, but she stopped him. "No, just listen for a moment. I have no idea what we will be facing in there, but I do know I don't want you anywhere near it, and not just because I want to keep you from it. I do, but I just…I can't be distracted while I'm in there; there's just too much riding on this, on me. And I know that if you are with me, I will be focused on you way too much; I'm just afraid I'll get distracted and miss something important like I did when we were fighting the werewolves." She sighed and took his hands. "This is so hard for me. There is no one I would rather have beside me than you, no one that I trust more by my side, but I can't bring myself to ask you to face this with me."

She was quiet again, her eyes filling with tears, "And if the worst should happen, should I have to… I don't think I could do what was necessary if you were there. I'm afraid seeing you would make me lose my nerve. I just don't think I could bear to make you…"

"I understand," Zevran said, taking her hand and pulling her close, not wanting her to finish that thought. If she finished saying what they were both thinking, he wouldn't be able to let her leave him behind, but he was too tired to argue with her about this anymore. When she set her mind to something, there was no changing it, and he didn't want to taint what may be their last moment with any more arguing. "So who will you take?"

"Ogren and Wynne. Zevran…I…"

"Shhh, let's not say our goodbyes just yet, amora. Come, let us go to the others first," he said, holding on to her hand as they went to seek out their companions. If he was being honest with himself, Zevran wasn't ready to say goodbye, not after their last conversation about the archdemon. Knowing that he was saying goodbye to her, perhaps for the last time was almost unbearable. He didn't want this moment to end, so he stood back and watched as the others spoke with her. One by one, each of their companions came up to her to say their goodbyes to his Warden. Many had kind, sentimental things to say, but it was Ogren's sentiment that had surprised him the most. The dwarf who was usually light-hearted was suddenly serious; he thanked Eriana for believing him and giving him a chance when everyone else in his life had written him off. "I owe you a lot, Eriana, and I would consider it an honor to die for you and your cause." Shale, as always, was the only one who managed to make her smile. Zevran thought for a moment that the golem was expressing genuine concern for Eriana until she said, "Do try not to get swallowed whole. If the beats were to fly about afterward and poop it out, irony would dictate it would land on me. I couldn't take it." Eriana laughed and patted the golem on the arm as Leliana stepped up and pulled the elf into a big hug. Zevran couldn't bear to watch the two women say their goodbyes; Leliana's fear and anxiety was too similar to his own to bear. Besides, he had some business he had to tend to before he said his goodbye.

"Wynne, may I have a word, please," Zevran asked, taking the mage by the arm and leading her away from the group. "Would you do something for me? Could you please make sure that Loghain survives?"

Wynne was confused, "Loghain?"

"Yes, Loghain. I know that you will do all you can to keep Eriana alive, but if you care for her at all, make sure he survives to face the dragon."

"Zevran, what is this about?"

Zevran looked back at Eriana who was kneeling down, wrapping her arms around her mabari. "Just keep him alive, Wynne, please," he said, giving her one last look before walking back to Eriana.

She stood up when she saw him walking toward her and stepped into the waiting circle of his arms. He simply held her for a moment savoring the feel of her head on his shoulder. "So this is where we part ways," he said, finally summoning the courage to speak, knowing full well their time was coming to a close. "I just wanted you to know, assassinating you was the luckiest thing that ever happened to me." Eriana chuckled lightly, but kept her head nestled against his shoulder. He stroked her hair and tilted her head up to look at her. "Know this, my Ana, for a chance to be by your side, I would storm the gates of the Black City itself, never doubt it."

"I love you, Zevran Arainai, I hope you know that," Eriana said as she looked up at him.

"I know, mi amora, and I you," Zevran said as he ran his hand across her smooth cheek. She closed her eyes for a moment before reaching up and removing her Grey Warden amulet from her neck and placing it his hand. "Ah, cruel to the end," he said sadly as he looked down at her necklace briefly before taking her face in his hands and turning it up to his, drawing her into a passionate kiss. For a moment, the world faded around them, and nothing else existed except for the woman in his arms. But all too soon, she pulled away and the moment was over, and she had to leave him. Before releasing her, he whispered in her ear, "Come back to me, amora."

Eriana looked at him with sad eyes. "I will try, my love." She kissed him once again then was gone, walking toward the gates with Loghain, Ogren, and Wynne. Just before she disappeared into the city, she turned and looked back at him one last time. Then she was gone, and all Zevran could do was watch and wait.

The alienage was the one place that Eriana had hoped to avoid. Seeing the city that had been her home for so many years in ruin was difficult enough, but to see the alienage overrun with darkspawn was almost too much for her to bear. As she and her companions entered the burning neighborhood, Eriana offered a silent prayer of thanks that she had sent her family away, one less thing for her to worry about. Try as she might, she wasn't able to stop herself from looking down at the bodies of friends and neighbors that littered the streets. They were approaching the square where her ill-fated wedding had taken place when an all too familiar voice greeted her.

"Shianni!" Eriana shouted when her cousin came running up to her, "What in the sodding hell are you doing here? You are supposed to be up north with my father."

"I couldn't leave the alienage, not the way things are. Oh, Cousin, had I known…"

Eriana bit her lip; she desperately wanted to chide her, but now was not the time. "It's fine, Shianni, but you need to get out of here. Gather as many people as you can and escape through the market; it should still be clear."

"No, this is my home, too, and I'm not leaving it."

Eriana lost it; grabbing her cousin a bit roughly by the arm, Eriana drug her away from the group. "I need you to get your sodding ass out of here, now. You have no idea what waits behind those gates, and I can't have you here when those things break through, I can't." Eriana glanced over her shoulder where her companions waited. "It is bad enough that I have had to drag my friends into this hell, but I can't focus on what I have to do while I'm worried about the people I love. That's why I tried to send you away. If I'm worried about protecting you, I'll make a mistake, and if I make a mistake, people die."

Shianni glanced around for a moment, "So who is protecting you then? Where is Zevran?"

"Zevran is at the gate for the same reason I tried to send you away. I can take care of myself, Shianni. Besides, I'm a Grey Warden; it's my responsibility to protect you, to protect everyone. Now, go. Find Zevran at the gate, and wait for me there."

Shianni gave her a quick hug before she began rounding up the alienage survivors and leading them toward the market. Eriana watched sadly as her cousin disappeared from sight before turning back to her companions. "Alright guys, let's take care of this general then head for the archdemon."

Zevran just wasn't himself today, Leliana quickly realized as she watched the elven assassin move through the waves of darkspawn that poured through the gates. She had seen him worried or upset before, but there was more to it than simple concern. There was almost an air of foreboding and dread hanging around the usually cool and collected elf. There was definitely something going on that neither Zevran nor Eriana had told her, and she wasn't about to wait around to find out.

When they finally caught a break in the fighting, Leliana made her way over to where he was standing by the wall, watching the gate closely. "Okay, Zevran, what is going on, and don't bother trying to lie to me. I'm a better bard than you, and I can tell when you're lying."

Zevran looked up at her for a moment, clearly torn between the need to talk about what was bothering and a desire to stay quiet. As they were standing there, the shadow of the archdemon passed high over them, and something in Zevran seemed to break. In a flood of words and emotions, everything poured out. The need for a Warden's sacrifice, Eriana's need to prove herself honorable, Alistair's harsh critique of her character, everything. Leliana stood there, listening to him in a stunned silence.

"So, wait, are you saying Eriana intends to take the last hit should Riordan fall?" Zevran nodded, unable to meet her eye. Leliana was about to say something when a harsh roar shattered the sky above them. Turning and looking into the sky, they watched the archdemon struggling to dislodge a lone figure from its back. She didn't Zevran's superior eyesight to know it was Riordan. She watched in horror as the senior Warden and dragon both fell from the sky. Sighing, Zevran sank to the ground and held his head in his hands, and despite all her best efforts, Leliana could find nothing to say to soothe the distraught elf. So she said nothing; she simply sat down beside him, her arms wrapped around him, joining him on his vigil at the gate.

The great beast gave a ground-shaking roar before it collapsed to the roof of Fort Drakon; its defeat now imminent. Eriana and Loghain turned simultaneously toward the great beast and shouted to their allies to stand back as the duo raced toward the fallen dragon. Taking a deep breath, Eriana leaned forward on her sword for a moment, exhausted and nauseated all of a sudden. The reality of what she was about to do finally setting in. Taking a deep breath, she reached back and drew Fang off her back and handed her mother's blade to Ogren who had come up beside her.

"Could you do one last thing for me, Ogren? Would you make sure that he gets that?" The dwarf nodded and took the dagger from her. "Thank you, my friend," she in a whisper.

Eriana turned back toward the dragon, clutching Duncan's sword, trying hard to keep her last measure of courage from leaving her. She tried to picture those that she loved the most, Zevran, Shianni, Soris, her father, remembering that she was doing this for them, to preserve and protect them. It was her duty, a duty that cannot be forsworn. She hefted her sword and began to move toward the dragon when she felt a strong hand on her arm, holding her back. Eriana turned and found herself looking up into the clear blue eyes of Loghain.

"Eriana, there is no need for you to take the final blow. Allow me; isn't that why I'm here."

Eriana glanced up at him, "No Loghain, this isn't a punishment. I didn't make you a Grey Warden so you could do the difficult things that I don't want to. I can't ask you to do anything that I myself am not willing to do myself. If would be selfish of me to expect that of you."

"Perhaps, but why should you be the one to die? You are the reason that this creature lies defeated, not I. My joining the Grey Wardens was a death sentence. If I survived the joining it seems only fitting that it could be because I was destined to perish him here. Besides you are young. You have more to live for than I."

"Loghain, my joining was also a death sentence. It is my destiny to die here as much as it is yours, and as senior Grey Warden, this is my duty, not yours. If I don't do this, do what is right, what is my duty, then he'll be right about me. Besides, you are a national hero, and I…I'm just an elf that has gained some notoriety."

"Do you honestly believe that? Do you think I will be remembered as a hero? I'm not so certain. If I can die a hero in the service of Ferelden, I do so gladly."

"As would I."

"Yes, of that I have no doubt, but I have much to atone for. If my death would serve some purpose here, I would greet it gladly. I expected you to kill me for what I did to you, but you didn't. More than that, you have proven a friend. I thought all along that I would save Ferelden, but it was you." He paused and placed a hand on her trembling shoulder. "Please, I have done so much wrong; allow me to do one last thing right."

"But, Loghain…"

The two Wardens stood in silence for a moment, regarding their enemy, neither lowering their swords. Finally, one of the knights from Redcliff shouted, "What are you waiting for? Kill it!"

The Wardens looked at each other.

"Are you sure about this; you realize what will happen if you do this?"

"I know, but it my duty, as much as if not more than it is yours."

"Alright then, go with the Maker, my friend."

With that, the Wardens clasped forearms one final time. When they released each other, one stepped forward toward the injured dragon, the other stepped back to join their companions.

Taking a deep breath, the Warden charged toward the archdemon, crying "For Ferelden." As the Warden approached, the beast raised its snake-like head, baring its teeth and lunging toward its destroyer, but the Warden was faster, cutting the beast's neck from jaw to chest. The dragon crashed to the ground as the Warden leapt on to its head, driving the sword deep into the archdemon's skull. A bright light enveloped both Warden and dragon for a moment, shooting a bright beam of light high into the clouds. The soldiers, human, elf, and dwarf alike backed away from the demon as energy began to crackle around them. Suddenly there was a massive explosion, sending a shockwave across the roof.

Both archdemon and Grey Warden were dead. The Blight was over.

It had been a grueling couple of hours for Zevran as he helped to defend the gate. He had hoped that killing the steady stream of darkspawn pouring out of the city would have distracted him enough that he wouldn't be dwelling on the fact that he wasn't in there with his Warden, but he was wrong. All it did was serve as a constant reminder of the danger that she was in, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Suddenly, all eyes were drawn to Fort Drakon as a loud explosion echoed through the city. All around him, darkspawn began to drop their weapons and flee. Shouts of joy surrounded him as everyone began to realize what had happened. "Maker bless the Wardens," "They've done it," "It's over." But Zevran processed none of this. He knew too well the cost of this victory, and he knew that there was a very good chance that the woman he loved now laid dead beside the archdemon. A Grey Warden was dead; this much was certain; but which one?

Zevran felt a comforting hand resting on his arm and looked over to see Leliana standing beside him. "I'm sure she's okay, Zev." she whispered onto his ear. Zevran didn't say anything, he just covered the bard's hand with his own and together the two turned to wait for their return.

"She did it, right? This means she did it!" Shianni said as she ran up to the two rogues. Seeing the look on their faces, she stopped short. "What?"

Leliana drew the red-headed elf in beside her and quietly explained the situation. Zevran blocked it out; all his senses focused on the gate in front of him.

For nearly an hour, the two rogues stood with Sten, Shianni, and Ramoth and watched the flood of survivors and weary soldiers as they poured from the city, waiting anxiously for any news from Drakon. With every moment that passed, Zevran became more desperate, the nervous feeling gnawing at the pit of his stomach.

Then, in the distance, a familiar silhouette appeared in the smoke and haze. The first to appear was the outline of a dwarf, assisting a weary mage who was using her staff as a walking stick. Beside them was the shadow of an armored man, carrying a small, limp body in his arms. Beside him, Leliana let out a weak cry that Zevran didn't hear. His stomach lurched as the bile in his stomach began to rise in his throat. All his senses were dull except for his sight, and all he saw was his Warden, his beloved, his Eriana cradled in a pair of armored arms as his world shattered around him.