I should have explained this at the end of my last chapter, but I forgot. In my last story, I changed Eriana's back story a bit. Her mother was not a Dalish elf that met Duncan at one point; instead, I made her an escaped Antivan Crow who went by the name Alyssa. Adia just means mother to my elf, and she uses ada to refer to her father. Sorry for any confusion. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Let me know what you think. I've started working on a Hawke story that's been bouncing around in my head, but don't worry; I have no plans to let this one go just yet.

-0-

It wasn't difficult for the Wardens to find their way back to Vigil's Keep from Drake's Fall. The darkspawn had left a trail of blighted land and destruction that cut through the heart of the arling like deep, bleeding wound. All the Wardens had to do was follow it. Luckily, they didn't come across many dead civilians along the way. The darkspawn, it seemed, ad been so focused on making it to the keep that they didn't seek out additional victims, a small comfort for the battle-weary wardens. The travel was slow going at first; everyone was beaten and exhausted after killing a dragon, the Architect, and the Mother. Brendan hadn't been able to find any carts, so they were forced to ride on horseback. It was exhausting, but Eriana was unwilling to rest, even though she was more injured and tired than the rest. More than anything, she wanted to get back to the Vigil, but at the same time, she was terrified by what she might find there. Ever since she made the decision to save Amaranthine and leave the Wardens at the Keep to fend for themselves, she had been second-guessing herself to the point that she was desperate to get home, just to make sure everyone was alive and well. Looking at the destroyed land that surrounded them as they traveled only heightened her fears. The young elf could feel the watchful eyes of Anders and Nathaniel on her every time they stopped, watching to see if she was still in pain, looking for a reason to force her to stop and rest, so she set her face into an expressionless mask and refused to grimace even in the slightest as the searing pain shot through her abdomen every time she made a sudden movement. Whenever she could find a moment alone, she would down a health potion, hoping to heal the slowly fading bruise a bit faster and before Anders could see it. She was quiet sure he'd pitch a fit if he saw it..

Thanks to Eriana's frantic pace, they managed to make it back to the Vigil after only a day and a half of travel. As they topped the final ridge on their journey home, Eriana's breath caught as the walls of the keep came into view. To her great relief they were still standing, though it was clear the darkspawn had broken through in several places. Her heart sank, though, as she looked at the destruction surrounding her home. All around the keep, curling smoke rose from fires, creating an ominous haze throughout the air. Closing her eyes and clinging to Nathaniel's back as he continued to lead the horse toward the gates, Eriana reached out with her Warden senses, trying to detect tainted life of any kind in the keep. She released a breath that she hadn't realized she had been holding when she felt the presence of a large number of Wardens but no darkspawn.

Her relief was sort lived, however. A dour-looking Niko Amell was waiting to greet them as they entered the gate, and he wasn't alone.

"Soris," she cried, scrambling frantically off Nathaniel's horse, completely ignoring the searing pain that shot through her side as she hit the ground. Running across the courtyard, she threw herself into her cousin's arms, sobbing as relief washed over her. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, and Eriana couldn't help but wince when his arms squeezed the tender bruise. He obviously noticed her reaction because immediately, he pulled back and looked down at her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, a concerned look crossing his face as he inspected her, watching her face for any sign of pain.

Eriana nodded. "Just a bit sore from the ride, that's all; we pushed ourselves pretty hard to get back here as soon as possible. Oh, Sor, I'm just so happy to see you. I was so afraid that something had happened to you."

Nathaniel and Brendan joined them as Eriana buried her head in her cousin's chest. "It's good to see the Keep still standing. After what we faced in Amaranthine, I have to say, we were all a bit concerned. So, how did we fare, Niko," Brendan asked, glancing around the courtyard.

"I won't lie to you; it wasn't easy," Niko said, shaking his head. "They attacked us relentlessly for several days. As you can see, they managed to break through the walls in a few places. We were able to hold them back for the most part, but it was not without loss."

Eriana's head jerked up, the nauseating feel of guilt rushing through her. "What happened; who did we lose?"

"We lost a few from both groups, I'm afraid. Your dalish mage, Velanna I think her name was; she was standing beside the wall when a group of darkspawn managed to break through. A huge section of the wall collapsed on her." Soris's arms tightened around Eriana as Niko continued to talk. "We haven't found her body, but there's still a lot of rubble to sort through."

Eriana nodded. "Who else?" Niko sighed and glanced toward one of the fires. Eriana followed his gaze. There stood Garen and Cybele, staring ahead into the fire. The young thief held the dalish archer in his arms as she clung to him, her body shaking as she wept. "No, not Delain." Niko nodded. "How is her sister doing?"

"She's devastated," Niko said with a sigh. "So is Garen. They seem to be better today, though than they were initially. I don't think Cybele has ever been separated from her sister. I guess it's a good thing they have each other to help them through this; Garen is the only person who has been able to get her to talk since it happened." Niko gestured toward a crumbling section of the wall. "Delain was fighting on the battlements over there when an ogre charged the wall just beneath where she was standing. I guess it was weaker there than anyone realized because the entire wall began to shake when it hit. She lost her footing and fell over the side. By the time Petra or I got there, it was too late. Cybele was standing just a few feet away, too, and saw the whole thing. I think she blames herself for not being able to get to her fast enough."

"Dareth shiral, lethallan," Eriana whispered under her breath, looking toward the pyre. "Is that all?" Niko shook his head and glanced over her head to Soris. "Who, who was it?" Eriana's eyes darted around the courtyard, looking over the different groups of Wardens huddled together or working to clean the keep, and a sudden feeling of panic washed over her. Her knees buckled and Soris had to react quickly to catch her before she fell. "Where's Oghren?"

"He's going to be fine, cousin," Soris reassured her, gently stroking her hair. "You know how he is when he fights. He always has to be on the front line, right in the thick of things. When the last wave hit us, he was overwhelmed; we found him after the battle. Petra's been working on him ever since. He's not awake yet, but we expect him to be soon."

Eriana breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank the ancestors. But wait, if it's not Oghren, then who…"

"Varel," Soris answered sadly.

"Varel, how did Varel get into the fighting; he was supposed to be recovering," she stuttered, fresh tears filling her eyes.

"He and I were inside with the serving staff, and a hand full of darkspawn broke in. I tried to beat them back by myself, you know, protect the women and children until reinforcements came, but they were too much. As I was about to be overrun, Varel came charging out, sword in hand. Together we were able to hold them back until some of the guardsmen showed up. By then, though, it was too late for Varel. He died a hero, cousin."

Eriana nodded, but found it very difficult to say anything. Of course Varel died a hero; he lived his entire life as a hero, how could he be anything less in death. He had saved her life and had saved her cousin's life; she owed him a debt she could never hope to repay. Now, she would never have the chance because she hadn't been there to return the favor.

Taking a deep breath, the exhausted elf stepped out of her cousin's arms. "Nathaniel, could you see to…I need to go see Oghren, do you think you could…"

"I've got it under control, Ana," Nathaniel assured her. "You go do what you need to do." Eriana thanked him and disappeared into the keep.

-0-

Oghren slowly opened his eyes, wincing slightly as they adjusted to the late afternoon light coming in through the window in his chambers. That was one of the few things he missed about Orzammar, stone sense didn't have to blind you tell you the sodding time. He quickly realized that his eyes weren't the only things that hurt, his whole body felt like he had been trampled by a sodding bronto. He shifted slightly; no, it felt like a whole herd of brontos had run him over. As he slowly came around, the dwarf became aware of two rather important things. One, for some reason, he wasn't drunk anymore, and two, he wasn't in possession of his right hand.

"Maker, I must have been out a while if I have had time to sober up," he thought. Then he looked down, and it became perfectly clear why he couldn't move his hand. Eriana was sitting at this bedside, fast asleep with a death-grip on his hand. She had fallen asleep in a chair with her head resting on the edge of her bed. Oghren reached down with his free hand and brushed her hair off her face. Sleeping like that, the poor girl looked so pale, so fragile, like more of a child than a warrior.

Oghren's attentions must have woken her because her blonde head jerked up. Her eyes fluttered for a moment before she looked up at him, relief washing over her features.

"Hey there kiddo," he said, smiling down at her. "I guess the fact that you're just sitting here with nothing better to do means that we won then, right?"

"Yeah, we did," she answered, wearily. "And apparently, you're a big hero here now. The guards who survived the attack say you fell a thousand darkspawn single-handedly before they managed to take you down," she added with a tired laugh; then her eyes grew sad. Oghren knew that look all too well. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here for you Oghren. When we got back and heard what happened…I shouldn't have left you behind, Oghren; I should have…" She couldn't finish her thought; instead, she just put her head down, hiding the tears that were creeping into her eyes.

"Hey, hey, hey, none of that, now, kiddo. I'm fine. You were right where you needed to be. You saved innocents from darkspawn, right?" Eriana nodded without raising her head. "Then you did your duty. Never doubt that. There were plenty of us here to take care of that army; you six wouldn't have made much of a difference one way or another."

"But I almost lost you, Oghren, and I don't think I could bear to lose another friend, not so soon." The elf dissolved into a mess of tears, unable to even bring her eyes up to look at him.

"There, there, Kid, ole Oghren can take care of himself. You of all people should know that well enough by now. Besides, it takes more than a few darkspawn to take me out." He reached down and lifted her face, taking a moment to examine her closely. His eyes narrowed as he looked at her appraisingly. "Now how long have you been sitting here, keeping a vigil over my sleeping ass?"

Eriana glanced at the window. "About a day and a half, I guess. You were out for two full days before we got back."

"Eriana hasn't left her side," said a familiar husky voice, and Oghren turned to see Nathaniel enter with a tray of food. "Here's something for you to eat, Oghren. I brought this up for Ana, but now that you're awake, I may actually be able to convince her to go get something and maybe get some sleep."

"How long has it been," Oghren asked, "since you had any sleep?"

"Um, ten minutes, you just saw me," Eriana pointed out, a weak smile on her face.

"He he, I don't mean that. I mean real sleep."

"Five or six days at my count," Nathaniel answered, and Eriana shot him a dirty look in response. "It's true. The night we spent in the Chantry was the last time you got more than a few hours of sleep. And being knocked out doesn't count. Warden stamina or not, you're dead on your feet."

"Traitor," she muttered up at Nathaniel before turning back to Oghren. "Then it's a good thing I'm sitting down, then, isn't it?"

Oghren chuckled and immediately regretted it as a fresh wave of pain shot through him. "Get some sleep kiddo; I'll still be here when you wake up." Oghren patted her gently on the arm, looking down at his young friend with concern. He had seen her at her best and her worst during their time together, but he had never seen her look so drained. She looked more alive when she was unconscious following her fight with the archdemon. It seemed all the stress of command and her personal life was starting to catch up with her. Sodding Antivan, she needed him now more than ever if she was going to pull through this unscathed. He had half a mind to go to Antiva himself and drag his skinny ass back.

"You're right," she said wearily. "I just wanted to be here when you woke up. I don't think I would have been able to rest until I knew for sure that you were going to be okay."

"I'm fine," Oghren reassured her. "Though I can't say how I'll be when Felsi finds out what almost happened to me."

Eriana chuckled, "Yeah, I don't think I would want to be the one to deliver her that news. Pregnant women can be so unreasonable."

"That's the truth. Now, go, get some rest, Ana; you need it." Eriana leaned over and kissed the dwarf gently on the forehead. "Come come now, don't get all mushy on me now, you'll ruin my reputation," Oghren growled patting her arm.

Eriana chuckled and started to get to her feet, but as stood up, she seemed to wince in pain, her hand going instantly to her abdomen. She paused for a second, holding her stomach, her eyes closed in pain before she started walking gingerly toward the door. Nathaniel, who was busy getting Oghren's meal set up didn't seem to notice. The elf was almost to the door when she doubled over, crying out in pain before collapsing into a heap on the floor. Nathaniel shouted her name and was at her side in a heartbeat, the tray of food clattering noisily to the floor. Oghren threw back the sheets and struggled to get out of the bed, but the pain shooting through him was almost debilitating.

"Don't you move," Nathaniel ordered back at him, without looking up from Eriana, and Oghren was forced to comply.

"Is she okay?" Oghren asked, desperately trying to see what was going on, feeling completely helpless.

"I'm not sure; stay here. I'm getting Anders," Nathaniel said as he disappeared out of the door. Oghern's eyes never left the crumpled figure on the floor in front of him as he willed Nathaniel to return quickly with the mage. He watched as her back moved ever so slightly with each shallow breath she drew, her sickly pallor chilling him to the core. His mind racing as the, minutes ticked by slowly, and he began to pray to the ancestors, to the creators, to the Maker himself. Was she exhausted; had she been poisoned; had she caught some strange illness? He was extremely relieved when Nathaniel reappeared, with Sigrun and Anders in tow. Anders' hands flared up instantly as he rushed to her side, the air humming with the energy of his magic.

"Anders," Sigrun whispered, panic evident in her voice, "look; she's bleeding really bad." Oghren looked in the direction the dwarf was pointing and gasped. Her legs and the floor beneath her were bright red with her blood.

Anders closed his eyes and cast a quick spell, his hands hovering over her midsection. "Oh, sweet Maker, no," he whispered, his eyes open wide. "We need to get her in bed immediately. Sigrun, see if you can find Petra and try to find out if any of the servants has experience as a midwife." Every head in the room turned suddenly toward Anders, shocked expressions on every face.

"A midwife?" Nathaniel demanded.

Anders nodded grimly, "She's pregnant."

-0-

The entire room was silent as the gravity of Anders's words began to sink in. "Oh, no," Nathaniel muttered, his entire countenance paling, "quick, Anders, check her stomach."

"Her stomach?" Anders looked a bit confused but reached down and rolled up the hem of her tunic, revealing the large, ugly purple bruise that still covered most of her abdomen.

"By the stone," Sigrun muttered, a hand over her mouth.

Anders' face grew red as he glared up at Nathaniel. "How did this happen?"

"The Mother, when that thing caught her…"

"Wait, she's had this for five days, and you didn't think to tell me? Nathaniel, what were you thinking?" Anders shouted.

"It didn't seem to bother her on the trip home, so I thought she was alright. If I had known…"

"What will this mean for the baby?" Sigrun asked, her eyes wide. "Look where it is. I mean an injury like that can't be good for it."

Anders' brow was furrowed as his glowing hands moved over the unconscious elf. "I don't know. The baby's alive…for now at least, but it's weak and getting weaker as we speak." The mage shook his head, "We've got to act fast. Nathaniel, get her to her room. Carefully, now, don't jar her if you can help it. Sigrun, go find Petra, fast."

Everyone moved at once. Sigrun was gone before Anders even finished talking. Nathaniel knelt down beside Eriana and gently lifted her, cradling her close to his body. "I should have said something the moment she showed me that bruise," he thought to himself as he looked down at the unconscious elf in his arms, fighting back the feelings of guilt that were raging through him.

It took only a few moments for them to reach Eriana's room, but in those moments, the color of her face seemed to drain and her skin took on a deathly pale shade. Her cheek felt cold against his shoulder, and Nathaniel picked up the pace, urging Anders to hurry. How could they have been so blind; how did they miss this? Once they were in her room, Nathaniel set her gently on the bed. He was about to get up when Eriana's small hand grabbed his arm, her grip surprisingly strong considering how much blood she was losing. "What happened, Nate?" she whispered, struggling to open her eyes. Nathaniel sighed and sat down beside her, stroking her hand as he gently told her what Anders had discovered. Her eyes widened in panic as her hands traveled down to her abdomen. "The baby, is it…"

"Anders said it's still alive. He's doing what he can to save both of you.

She nodded, burying her head in her hands. "Don't leave me; please don't leave me." Nathaniel nodded and perched on the edge of the bed, gently stroking her hair as Anders continued to work.

Sigrun returned quickly with Petra and an old serving woman. Soris ducked into the room behind them, wringing his hands nervously as he looked at his cousin. "This is Lilith," she said, motioning to the woman. "She has experience as a midwife."

Lilith immediately began examining Eriana, her wrinkled hands moving over the elf's stomach as she began to question her. "How long has it been since the last time you bled?" she asked without looking up.

"Um, I don't know, three maybe four months. It could be longer."

The woman nodded, sitting back for a moment and looking around the room. "And the father," she said glancing at Nathaniel who was on one side of her, holding her hand, then at Anders who was hovering protectively on the other side, his hand on her other shoulder, "was the father human?"

"No, he was…is an elf," Eriana said, chewing on her bottom lip, and Nathaniel could tell she was biting back tears.

"Well, from what I can tell, you are about five months along."

"Five months? Look at her; there's no way she's five months pregnant," Nathaniel said, glancing down at her flat stomach.

"Elven women do not grow as much as human women. Many times, you cannot even tell that they are pregnant until the final month, especially if the mother has been under nourished, as I suspect this one has."

"Did you say five months," Eriana whispered, her voice dull and lifeless. Lilith nodded. "But for elves, full term is…"

"Seven months, I know dear, but I'm afraid you won't make it that long. Your water broke; the baby is coming now."

"Now, but you just said it was two months until it was time for the baby to come. It's too early." Eriana's eyes were wide as she looked from the midwife to the mages. "Anders, Petra, can't you do something to stop it? They're mages, can't they help?"

"I'm sorry child, once the water has broken, there's no way of going back. It looks as though you've had some trauma to your abdomen and that's what caused the water to break. If they had caught it when it happened, perhaps they could have prevented it. But as it stands now, there's nothing we can do but deliver the baby."

Eriana's breaths were coming in deep gasps, "But can a baby even survive this early? Can it?"

Lilith sighed, "It's been known to happen, but the chances aren't good. I'm sorry." The woman gave her a gentle pat before getting up and moving to the base of the bed. "Now, we have to begin preparations."

As Lilith began directing the mages and servants on how to prepare for the birth, Eriana lay there, staring up at the ceiling, holding tightly to Nathaniel's hand. "What have I done, Nathaniel, what have I done?"

-0-

An hour or so later, Eriana began to experience genuine labor pains, and Lilith ordered everyone who wasn't a mage out of the room. Nathaniel started to get up to follow the midwife's instructions, but Eriana grabbed his arm. Looking up at the old woman, the frightened elf pleaded, "Please, I need him…I can't…please don't send him out. And Soris, can't he stay, please."

The midwife sighed, "Okay, but only them, and you two must do whatever I tell you. If I don't tell you to do anything, then stay out of the way, understood?" The two men nodded. "Good. Now you," she said pointing toward Nathaniel, "sit behind her so she can lean back against you, and hold her hands."

Nathaniel complied, moving behind the elf and taking her hands. "I'm here for you, Ana. I'm not going to leave you," he whispered in her ear. "You are going to be fine, sweeting. I'm not letting anything happen to you."

Eriana nodded, but didn't say anything. Instead she clamped down on his hands as a contraction surged through her. Nathaniel tried not to grimace as he held tightly to his hands; instead, he continued to whisper encouraging words into her ear, vaguely aware of the others as they moved around the room.

It took nearly another hour before her body seemed to make any progress. It was the longest hour of Nathaniel's life as he watched the woman in his arms fight against her own body. In between bouts of pain, she would lean back against his chest, utterly exhausted. Nathaniel would push the hair off her face and could feel her skin burning beneath his fingers. Then her breathing would quicken and another wave of pain would wash over her. Soris was sitting beside them, sponging her off with a wet towel, trying to keep her cool. "Anders," Nathaniel said, glancing up at the mage when Eriana collapsed against him after a particularly harsh contraction, "she's burning alive. This can't be good for her; can't you speed things up?"

"I know, but there's nothing we can do to move it along. Once her body is ready…"

Just then, Eriana gave a little cry, and the baby slid out into Lilith's waiting arms. Immediately, everyone in the room strung into action as Eriana fell limply back against his chest. Anders rushed forward and took the baby and moved to the side so that he could begin to work to try to save it. Petra and Lilith were tending to Eriana, working to control her bleeding.

"Nathaniel, what's wrong; why don't I hear anything? Can you see it?" Eriana whispered, trying desperately to lift her head off Nathaniel's chest so she could look around.

Nathaniel glanced over to where the mage was working. Maker, the baby was small; he wouldn't be surprised if he could hold the tiny thing in one hand. It was covered in black and blue bruises, probably from the blows Eriana sustained during her fight against the Mother and the Architect. "Anders is working very hard to save her, Ana."

"Her?" she asked, her voice shaking as she looked over at the mage. "It's a girl?" Nathaniel nodded. "He's healing her, though, right; he's going to be able to save her, isn't he?"

Nathaniel glanced down at Petra who was looking up momentarily from her work. Giving a small sigh, the mage shook her head as she glanced toward the baby. "I don't know, Ana; he's doing all he can."

Seconds ticked by like hours as the women continued to clean and heal Eriana, but she didn't seem to notice any of the attention she was receiving. Her eyes never left Anders' back as he worked fervently to save her daughter. After what seemed like an eternity, Anders turned around, cradling a tiny bundle in his hands. "I'm sorry, Eriana. I've done what I can, but…her little body is just so small, and her lungs just aren't strong enough. She just isn't getting enough oxygen."

A sob racked through her. "But you can fix it, can't you? I mean you can fix anything. Please Anders fix her."

Anders closed his eyes tight and shook his head, a tortured look on his face. "I'm sorry," he whimpered, choking back tears, "but I can't make her lungs grow. I've done everything I can, but I'm afraid she is just not strong enough."

Eriana held out her arms. "Can I see her, please?" Anders nodded and placed the child in her mother's trembling arms. Nathaniel watched as Eriana drew back the blankets and looked down at her daughter, her nimble fingers lightly tracing the infant's long, delicate ears, running her hand over the baby's soft blond hair before it came to rest on the child's chest that was convulsing violently with each desperate breath the baby took. Nathaniel was grateful that Anders was able to clean the baby up, to at least heal the ugly bruises that covered her moments ago. That was the last thing Eriana needed to see just now. The room was completely silent save for the sounds of the child's spasmodic breaths and her mother's heart-breaking sobs.

Nathaniel glanced back over at Anders. The mage was standing with his back to the bed, his hands white-knuckled as they tightly gripped the sides of the table. Every time Eriana's sobs filled the room, his back would clinch as if he was being stabbed between the shoulders blades.

A desperate cry drew his attention back to the mother and child in his arms. The babe's breaths were coming more slowly now and were becoming more and more shallow until they stopped altogether, and the baby was still. Eriana bowed her head as her entire body trembled with her sobs, and all Nathaniel could do was to hold her, to cradle her against his chest as she cradled the unmoving child to her chest. From the corner of the room, Nathaniel could hear Soris softly crying as he sank to the floor, holding his head in his hands.

"Asala, my heart, my soul, I am so sorry, Asala, my Asala," Eriana murmured as she wept into the tiny bundle in her arms. "I'm sorry; I'm so sorry."

Nathaniel pressed his lips to the top of her head, unsure of what to say, if there was anything he could say that might bring her any comfort.

"Makers' breath, she's bleeding out." Petra's shout broke the heavy silence in the room, and in an instant, Nathaniel found himself being pushed from the room, Eriana's dead baby in his arms, as the midwife and mages rushed to Eriana's aid. Her new bed sheets were quickly turning a bright red as the elf's skin began to grow deathly pale. The last thing he heard before the door was shut behind him was her feeble voice cry out, "Zevran."