A/N: I'm sorry for any confusion about the ages. The ones mentioned in the last chapter are official now. Since we know basically what's going to happen at the Battle of Ostagar, I skipped a fairly big junk of it and focused on the end of it. So, umm, spoilers up ahead!

Review responses:

Aki: I've taken your suggestion into consideration but will not list it here as I want it to be a surprise for other readers. Also, it looks like Alistair is going to top this contest (pun intended :D). I'll drop hints about the little boy in Hadrian's dream as well as his appearance under the moonlight in later chapters.

YoshisSupport: I love challenges. They spice things up a bit. Besides, Alistair can be quite dominant if he's been hardened in the game. Now, that's hawt! Now, about the whole possession thing with the High Lord, hmmm, it wasn't meant to be perverted. With Alistair though, that's a whole another story.

KafeiDetour: I'm really glad that my readers out there like the story. Now, I just wish they were not so shy in telling me so. I don't bite.

Anonymous: Cailan is intended to be the older brother in the story. In chapter 11, in Cailan's memory, the young King sees Fiona holding her hand over her stomach in a very protective way. Of course, the child in her womb is Alistair; however, Cailan doesn't know this until after Duncan tells him, when they are deeper in their relationship. In the previous chapter, he deliberately withholds some info such as who Alistair's true mom really is.

Thanks to the following new readers:

FAVS: KafeiDetour, Anonymous, I-don't-like-pen-names, lcook93, The-After-Smoke

ALERTS: praswit, KafeiDetour, The-After-Smoke, Stormkeeper818, Sly Dalhousie, nevtanis

Chapter 15: Fallen

Cailan, I fear that I've not much long until my Calling.

Duncan closed his eyes as he tried to prevent tears from spilling out.

I know, Duncan. And I promise that I'll be with you, till the end.

Yes, to the end. Duncan's hands trembled as they turned over the King's body and the Warden closed the unseeing eyes, those eyes once so full of life.

He cupped the King's face and felt the lingering warmth. At first, he thought that maybe the Maker had grant him a miracle, maybe Cailan wasn't dead yet.

However, those wounds of Cailan's, caused by a crushing hug from an ogre, granted immediate death, even with a healer around.

As of now, the screams of both men and darkspawn that became his constant companions in this battle told him that no such healer was to be found and they were alone in their demise.

He heard something and realized that the same ogre that had killed Cailan was now heading for him, its horns aimed at him.

The ogre had intended to charge at him, using the horns to impale him. No, he would avenge his lover's death at least and he would take that ogre down with him.

He laid his lover down gently and turned to the ogre. He leaped up to his feet and drew his daggers as he ran and then jumped unto the ogre's chest as the creature raised its head at the last minute, its horns barely missing the leaping body by a breadth of an inch.

Its head reared back as Duncan's daggers plunged deep into the exposed torso and it bellowed in anger as the little human climbed upwards before collapsing backwards with a blade of steel sticking in its throat.

It let out a wet gurgle as Duncan pulled the dagger back and its arms reached out to grab the insolent man only to fall back unto the ground a second later when the Warden stabbed him between the eyes, delivering a final blow.

The Warden's legs felt like jelly when he jumped from the ogre's body and he crawled towards the King's now cooling body. King Cailan still hadn't moved from his spot. His body laid in that same position where he left it to kill his murderer.

For some reason he wanted to look up, to look away from his lover's impassive face and his eyes sought out for the Tower of Ishbal.

There, the beacon had indeed been lit, the fires burning wildly into the smoke-drenched sky. But where were the reinforcements? Where were Loghain and his promised cavalry?

Then, it hit him even as he saw another horde of darkspawn running at him, its leader hurling a dagger at a man fighting another hurlock.

They had been betrayed.

Loghain, the hero of River Dane, had abandoned them on the field, just when Cailan had needed him most.

True, the numbers of the darkspawn would have eventually overwhelmed the King's meager Army but it hadn't lessened the hurt of betrayal.

His King, his lover had died for nothing and there was nothing Duncan could do to stop the Darkspawn from defiling his lover's body.

As the Alpha Hurlock raised a two-handed axe in the air, Duncan thought of only two things, how proud he was of his Wardens that did their task and that he was going to see Cailan again, in the Fade.

The world suddenly brightened and the next time he blinked his eyes, he found himself looking into another pair of oh so familiar eyes, green mossy eyes that laughed back at him.

"Duncan," the figure in front of him breathed his name and Cailan kissed him.

Somehow he could still feel those soft lips on his. Were they still alive? Perhaps that had been a bad dream after all.

"Where-?" A finger shushed him and Duncan almost sobbed in relief when he was brought into a bear-crushing hug.

"We're together," Cailan said to him in a tender tone.

Cailan's hand took his and Duncan was awed to feel that he could still feel the warmth of his lover's hand.

When Cailan moved ahead of him, Duncan could see other people walking around and he realized that they were in the Fade.

"Are we? Have we passed over?" Duncan's question caused a sad smile to appear on the young King's face.

When he received a nod, disappointment bloomed. He had hoped to see his Wardens after the battle, to enjoy what time he had left with his handsome lover.

"Yes."

"I see. So that means, I'm dead too."

Cailan hadn't moved from Duncan's side. Instead he stepped closer to the confused Warden and then kissed him, passionately.

"Come, we've someone to see." Cailan pulled back and he started to pull on Duncan's hand.

"The Maker? He's here Himself?" Duncan wasn't sure if the Creator was here at all.

No one has ever seen the face of the Maker yet his presence was ubiquitous. Even the evil spirits were wary of their actions, acting like sneaky children trying not to be found out with their hands in the sweets jar.

"I don't know but it doesn't matter who it is, as long as I'm with you."

For the first time in a long while, Dunca felt truly happy and he followed his young lover as they traveled deeper into the Fade.

-o0o-

"Damn, why isn't Loghain moving?" Alistair shouted angrily. He watched the horde of the darkspawn overwhelm the King's forces. Why wasn't Loghain moving forward? Where is he?

Hadrian's eyes narrowed when they espied on the moving forces of their enemies and he knew in his heart what a second betrayal felt like.

Before he could turn to tell his friend, there were the sounds of doors busting open and his eyes flew open in surprise as the darkspawn piled into the open space where they had just fought the massive ogre.

The archers aimed their arrows at them and they fired upon them.

Hadrian cursed when their only healer was taken down instantly, arrows sticking into him as if his body was a pin cushion.

His own dog was down and out for the count; blood matted his fur and Hadrian felt something break in him again. Alistair was still fighting, somehow escaping the first hail of arrows.

However, in his focus on shielding himself from death, he was unaware of an Alpha Hurlock coming at him, a bloodied sword in his hand.

Desperate to save his comrade, Hadrian ran towards him, What was this feeling? It felt like the same feeling of despair that he had when he had to leave his parents to their deaths. Only this time, he knew that if Alistair was gone, he would be gone too in a way. He had to save him! He had to!

Agony pierced his mind. Such agony he had never felt before! Not even the pain from the Joining could compare with this excruciating pain of death. Hadrian's mind shattered and the last thing he felt was the warm breath of Alistair.

Alistair felt someone pushing him down and he collapsed as the heavy weigh of an extra person bore down on him. He let out a scream as the Hurlock thrust a sword into the both of them, the force of the blow strong enough to pierce through armor, flesh and bone.

The senior Warden clutched at the sword with a bloody hand and pulled the hurlock towards them, all the while bringing his own blade up and digging into hurlock's neck.

"Fucking...hell..." Alistair spat and he rolled the body over as another blow came. When he turned them over and dispatched the enemy from above with a dagger in the eye, he was shocked to see Hadrian's slack face. Hadrian! He saved me? But why?

A loud roar interrupted this thought and he looked up only to scream in terror at the sight of the dragon flying above him. Shit! The Archdemon here and now?

The dragon bellowed out its roar and Alistair groaned as the winds buffeted around him momentarily before calming down.

The darkspawn were still attacking him and he tiredly brought up his shield to protect him and Hadrian only to have it be knocked away.

His shield clattered uselessly to the side and he let out a choked gasp as arrows thunked into his chest.

The last of the Wardens fell back haplessly and his last sight was that of the Archdemon's foot coming down upon him.

-TBC-

A/N: I just realized how reading a 9,000 word chapter can just really tire you out. So I decided to cut back on the chappies. Any comments, opinions, criticisms? Don't forget to vote for two things ur review:

1. who's top: Alistair vs. Hadrian

2. in a poll displayed on my profile: Fergus' sweetheart.