Alistair could feel the battle in the air. The darkspawn horde was close and he was sent to collect Elissa who hadn't come back from target practice. He found her overlooking the valley where the fires of the darkspawn torches could be seen.

"Elissa?" Alistair came up beside her.

"That is what we face?" Elissa looked up at Alistair. "You feel them?"

"I feel them yes," Alistair clenched his jaw. It was uncomfortable and a curse as well as a blessing for all of Thedas.

Elissa looked up at him, "I don't want to feel that."

Alistair looked down at her and saw the fear in her eyes. He didn't know what to say to it. "We need to get to Duncan."

She nodded and started to walk back with Alistair taking a final look at the approaching horde felt a shiver down his spine. He followed Elissa to Duncan.

Elissa studied Duncan who stood by the fire looking into the flames as if they held the secrets to the world. He smiled at her and Alistair. His young Grey Wardens stood looking at him awaiting their instructions. He remembered when he was new, when he was new to the Wardens. He had more in common with Elissa than she knew, and she probably wouldn't welcome the knowledge of it.

"You heard the plan Elissa," Duncan began then looked at Alistair. "You two go to the Tower of Ishal to light the beacon."

"You mean I won't be in the battle?" Alistair looked from Duncan to Elissa. Elissa looked down feeling guilty.

"This is by the King's order Alistair," Duncan said.

"I think Alistair should at least be in the battle," Elissa said looking up.

"That is not your decision," Duncan sighed. "The Grey Warden's do what they must to defeat the darkspawn. Glamorous or not the beacon must be lit."

"I get it," Alistair sighed. He knew this would happen. He'd be left out again. He wasn't at all surprised but it didn't cut back on the sting of it. "If the King ever asks me to dance the Remigold in a dress I'm drawing the line, darkspawn or no."
Elissa looked over at him. She was so surprised by his remark she smiled. "I'd like to see that," she laughed.

"For you? Maybe, but it has to be a pretty dress," Alistair looked down at her.

"With ruffles?" Elissa asked.

"Of course, Maker forbid there be no ruffles!" Alistair smiled.

Duncan sighed loudly and shook his head, "Can we please get back to the matter at hand?"

"Of course," Alistair said. "Sorry Duncan."

"Alistair knows what to look for as to when the light the beacon," Duncan said. "You have about an hour until the darkspawn should be on us. Do what must be done to ensure the beacon is lit, I trust you both. And remember you are both Grey Wardens I expect you to be worthy of that title."

Elissa didn't know if she was worthy but she nodded anyway, "I know what we have to do."

"Then I shall leave you both," Duncan said. He studied them again and was about to turn to leave when Alistair stopped him.

"Maker watch over you Duncan," Alistair sounded like he wanted to say more but he couldn't find the words. Elissa watched and saw the worry in his eyes.

"Maker watch over us all," Duncan smiled and left.

Elissa went about packing her gear. When they stood ready they heard horns in the distance. She looked at Alistair and he was looking at her, the battle had begun. Lucky howled at the sound and looked at Elissa. She frowned she didn't want to take him with her but leaving him wasn't an option. "We need to go Elissa," Alistair said. She felt the tension coming off of him and nodded.

They made their way through the camp and to the bridge just in time to see a massive boulder fly through the air and hit one of the ruins across the bridge from them. Elissa swallowed hard.

"We need to move now," Alistair yelled seeing more boulders flying towards the bridge. He didn't want to be caught on it if it collapsed.

Elissa nodded and ran towards the tower, Alistair was right behind her. It was loud, men were shouting and they could hear the screaming and cries of rage below them in the valley. Elissa was trying to get past some soldiers when Alistair looked over and saw a big boulder flying towards them. It would hit the bridge below them.

"Elissa!" Alistair reached for her and grabbed her hand and pulled her forward. He knew they wouldn't get clear of the debris he pulled her down against the far side of the bridge and covered her body with his. He felt stone bouncing off of his shield that was strapped to his back.

Elissa was angry she hadn't seen the boulder that smashed into the bridge and now she felt delicate because Alistair was the one baring the weight of the falling debris. She didn't have time to comment on it, Alistair pulled her up a second later and continued running letting go of her hand to do so. Elissa saw Lucky barking at them from the other side of the bridge. She breathed a sigh of relief that he hadn't been around the flying stone. She continued to follow Alistair across the bridge. She was so not cut out for battle, she growled at her anger again and forced herself to just keep going when she really wanted to do was tuck tail and run.

They reached the base of the tower and Elissa looked up at it. Something was wrong she felt it in her bones. She saw a soldier and a mage running towards them.

"You! You are Grey Warden's aren't you?" the soldier said bending over catching his breath.

"What's happened?" Alistair asked.

"Darkspawn have over run the tower," the soldier said looking up at Elissa and Alistair. "They come up from the lower chambers. Most the men are dead."

Elissa looked at Alistair he bit his bottom lip thinking. "Then we have to get to the beacon and light it ourselves."
Elissa felt like asking if he was mad, there were two of them and Maker knows how many darkspawn. But the mage and the soldier who quickly introduced themselves as Patry and Daggen followed them.

Elissa didn't have time to think she fought the darkspawn that were in the courtyard fighting the soldiers who were stationed there. Alistair led the way into the tower. It was a mess and no one was alive.

When they finished fighting the darkspawn on the first floor and were on the stairs to the second floor Elissa stopped to catch her breath. Alistair stopped and looked at her.

"Maker's breath what are the darkspawn doing here?" Alistair looked around.

"You could try telling them they are in the wrong place," Elissa took a sip out of her water skin.

"Yes, this was all just a big misunderstanding, we'll laugh about this later," Alistair sighed.

"Some of these bodies aren't fresh Alistair," Elissa said ignoring his sarcasm. "They've been here for a while."

"Loghain closed off the tower yesterday," Alistair frowned.

"Are there a lot of darkspawn here?" Elissa stood up straight and pulled an arrow to get it ready for the next batch. She wished she could feel the darkspawn now. She hated not knowing.

"I can't tell the exact number but it feels like more than a few and less than the horde but there's something big here," Alistair said.

"Great, just how I wanted to end my day," Elissa sighed.

"Could be worse," Alistair smiled. "It could be the archdemon."

Elissa shook her head and started running with the others in the direction of the next staircase to head up to the beacon. They fought what felt like was endless darkspawn.

As soon as they reached the top they all froze and Lucky started growling. In the shadows they saw something huge. It looked to be eating on bodies.

"What is that?" Elissa choked on the stench.

"Ogre," Alistair said.

The great beast turned around and roared at them. Elissa wanted to run. It was horrible, worse than the other darkspawn they had ever faced. It had horns on top of its head and looked to be all muscle.

It charged at the group and Elissa dove out of the way. She scrambled up to her feet and turned just in time to see it grab Patry the soldier and squeeze him and threw him towards the stairs. Elissa stared at the lifeless eyes of the soldier.

She heard Lucky barking and growling in the background and forced herself to draw an arrow and aim. She tried aiming for his eye but he kept turning. Alistair tried to keep his attention to give Elissa time to damage the monster. The mage cast a paralyzing spell on the ogre and it gave them time. Elissa's arrows bounced off his skin like it was rock.

She growled and put her bow away and grabbed her daggers. She didn't want to be up close and personal with the beast but her weapon of choice wasn't cutting it.

Just as she grabbed her daggers she saw the beast unfreeze and roar in rage. He backhanded Daggen. The mage went flying and didn't get up. When Elissa looked back at the ogre she saw in horror as he grabbed Alistair and lifted him off the ground.

"No!" She yelled running towards the beast. She launched herself up on the ogre's back using her daggers to stab into him. She needed him to release Alistair.

Alistair's ribs hurt. If the big bastard squeezed harder he'd be dead. He had heard Elissa yell and then she was suddenly there. She was looking at him over the ogre's shoulder. Somehow she had climbed on top of the monster. They looked at each other and Alistair saw the fear and the determination in her eyes.

Elissa raised her dagger above the ogre's head and brought it down hard. The blade sunk off into the ogre's skull and when Elissa tried pulling it out the blade broke.

"Shit," she whispered. Fergus had given her the set of daggers for her birthday now one was broken because of a stupid ogre.

She brought the other dagger and stabbed the ogre's neck. The pain from her blows caused the ogre to drop Alistair. Alistair rolled to the side and came up just in time to see the ogre falling. Elissa jumped off and rolled clear of the monster her daggers still sticking out of the ogre who lay dead.

Alistair ran over to her, "You okay?"

"Me?" Elissa whispered she didn't trust her voice.

"Yes you," Alistair smiled.

"You're the one he was trying to hug! Why are you asking me if I'm all right? Are you all right?" Elissa looked shocked.

Alistair could have burst out laughing at the look on her face. "I'm still breathing thanks to you."

"Would you light the beacon," Elissa said. "I don't trust myself to stand."

Alistair looked her over and saw it was just fear and nerves catching up to her. He ran over to the beacon and took the torch beside it on the wall and threw it on the wood that had been piled up. The whole tower lit up and the signal was sent. It was up to Loghain now.

Elissa had crawled over to Daggen and rolled him over. The mage was dead his neck was at a wrong angle.

She closed her eyes. The poor man had barely been out of the Circle Tower and now he was dead. She reached forward and closed his eyes. Then prayed to the Maker and Andraste to see him safely to their side. She had seen more death since Howe had attacked her home than she had her whole life.
Alistair watched her and shook his head. She had handled herself well. She had even saved his life. But now she said a prayer for a man she had never known until now. Alistair walked over to the ogre and pulled her dagger out of the beast. He saw her other dagger had busted in half.

Elissa got up and went over to Patry. She did the same thing for him that she did for Daggen. Then she got up and saw Lucky staring at her. She went over to him leaned down and hugged him. She didn't do this to him often because he always pulled away but this time he leaned into her.

Alistair saw the exchange but didn't say a word. He stared down at the ogre studying it for it had been the first time he had seen one. Elissa went about collecting her bow and arrows. She was down to ten arrows and one dagger. She shook her head and felt unprepared.

Elissa went over to Alistair. "How do you think the battle is going?"

Alistair shrugged and looked at Elissa. She had blood on her cheek and he wanted to wipe it off it marred her beautiful face. He saw unshed tears in her eyes.

"You did well with the darkspawn," Alistair felt like and idiot saying that. He saw her gaze at the bodies of the mage and soldier. He knew her thoughts. If she did so well why were two dead? He felt her thoughts as his own.

"Me or them right?" Elissa found herself saying.

Alistair held out her dagger. Elissa took it and put it back in its sheath. "Thanks," she whispered.

Alistair went to the window and looked out. The battle was far away and he couldn't make out who was winning but the feeling in his gut, the constant hum that the darkspawn were near was getting heavier.

Elissa followed him and looked down. She didn't want to be up in the tower, she wanted to be far away. Lucky started growling and looking at the door. "Lucky," Elissa whispered and turned towards him. She went over to him and grabbed his collar.

Before they could react darkspawn poured up the stairs. Elissa felt hot pain as three arrows hit her, one in the shoulder one in the side and one in the thigh. She screamed and went down.

Alistair cried out as well and collapsed somewhere behind her. Elissa felt darkness taking her. "Lucky!"

Lucky crawled over to her he had an arrow in his back leg. He laid his head on her chest and whined. He was the last thing Elissa saw before passing out.