The plaza, usually so vast, was crowded.

Holding up a closed fist, Garrett ordered his troops into a halt, realising what chaos the entry of troops not knowing where to go would cause. And where should we go? Looking around, Garrett tried to estimate the numbers and disposition of the people gathered, but even with him standing above them on top of a set of stairs, it was difficult.

Like silvery scales of a slithering snake, there were small squads of ten templars marching in from a street further to the right. But when they entered the plaza they disappeared among the horde of those that had already arrived, forming up into regiments, though neither as fast or smoothly as Garrett had witness the Qunari do. Bloody lots of them...a thousand, two? Where's the rest of them though? Everywhere, shields were being strapped on, spears and swords checked for damage and boots shifting back and forth as the nervous energy in the air rose.

Closer to the end of the plaza, another group stood, orderly lines of the guardsmen facing away from the more numerous templars and towards the distant keep, their less imposing armour a mottled grey and orange. Like the templars, they looked nervous, but there was a sterner air around them, their lines crisper, their spears unwavering. Veterans, maybe not with battle, but veterans none the less. Garrett smiled grimly, realising just how proud Aveline must feel about them.

We'll go there. Noticing that the space between the wall and the many templars would only allow five men abroad, Garrett turned his head. "Varric, Fenris, stand on each side and make the troops form a narrow column, then follow me." Then Garrett was marching forth, studiously ignoring the glances thrown his way by the many templars lining his path as he headed for the front of the plaza, the column behind him noisily following in tightly packed rows.

Further ahead, the spire that was the Viscount's keep towered over them, most of the front hidden behind a veil of grey smoke that emanated from where one would have expected the gate to be, but which now was nothing but rubble.

Garrett couldn't see any defenders, but considering the dark arrow-slits along the exterior and the smoke masking the nearest battlements, Garrett knew appearances were deceptive. The Arishok no doubt is ready to greet us...yet...how does he plan to survive? Even the best defence won't last against the might that can be brought against him.

Banishing such thoughts from his mind, for a bloodbath on such magnitude would be a disaster as far as he was concerned, Garrett instead raised his fist once more when he reached the other end of the plaza. Behind him, there was shuffling, but thankfully no embarrassing moments of people crashing into one another. Maker, I should have had them run some marching exercises at some point...

Now to his right, the near thousand strong troop of guardsmen still stood facing the Viscount's keep. Their long shields were leaning against them and their helmets were resting on the ground before them as each guardsman held a muted conversation with their neighbour or drank from their water-skins. Some only stood there, like frozen statues, staring at the mighty keep towering over them, fear or grim determination written on their faces.

"Hawke!" Aveline, having been walking along the front of her troops, came jogging, a grim-looking Donnic half a step behind. Coming to a stop in front of him, the woman offered a nod, her eyebrows knotted together in a frown. "All the guardsmen at the keep have been killed, unless the Qunari took them prisoner."

"Doubt they'd let themselves be taken, Captain." Donnic muttered, hands at his sides curling into fists.

"Right you are." The woman nodded back, a flicker of pain behind her eyes. "A good lot." She took a deep breath. "Only piece of positive news is that due to the Qunari distractions, there weren't more of them in there." A grimace and she turned her gaze to Garrett. "Two hundred, or just about, were in the keep." Nearly a tenth of the guard, Maker... "Add to that the ones killed along the Qunari's advance and the chaos in the city and I'm guessing we've already lost five hundred guardsmen in this."

"The element of surprise is gone, there won't be any more such severe blows." It felt like a lame sort of comfort, but Garrett didn't know what else to say.

Donnic nodded though, growling low. "He's right, we're organised now, facing them...they won't have any easy victories any more"

"They won't have any victories at all." Aveline corrected with an equally low growl before facing Garrett. "I have nearly a thousand guardsmen here. The rest are holed up in various places in the city, trying to create safe-houses for people on the run from all the killing." She shook her head, exasperated. "It's mad out there, Hawke."

"It was bad enough with that gas acting as the Qunari's vanguard along Lowtown and making everyone in their path genuinely go crazy..." Donnic agreed, grunting in frustration. "...but then it bloody spread."

Aveline grimaced. "People started to fight back the crazies, it got out of hand and, well..." Then she shook her head. "Plus, you have people using the confusion as an opportunity to vent old grievances. There's reports of Alienage elves going out to lynch bread-merchants, then others going out to do the same to random elves and anyone else they might think a Qunari-sympathiser. There's half the population of Darktown coming up to loot and pillage, gangs taking the opportunity to wage open war on each other for more territory and in the harbour a crash caused every ship trying to leave the harbour to start a panicked battle with one another just to be the first one to get out." She shook her head. "After this, a lot of heads will roll..."

"A lot of heads will roll before this night has passed too, I'm sure." The three turned at the sound of the new, and exceedingly cultivated, voice.

Garrett eyed the slim arrival with a purposefully neutral look, the two templar guards just behind him not a welcome sight, and his own appearance somewhat confusing. "First...Enchanter, isn't it? I believe I've seen you at the Reinhart parties."

"That time I was allowed to go, yes, though I don't think we were properly introduced." The greying elf bowed his head. "Orsino, at your service, serah Hawke."

Garrett looked back, expecting Anders to appear from his hiding place among Garrett's troops, but it didn't happen, Merrill or the man's weak sense of self-preservation apparently succeeding in holding him back from who he in one of his rants had called 'first lap-dog of the chantry'. Thank the Maker for small mercies. Looking back to the mage, then behind him, Garrett frowned. "A pleasure, I'm sure. Where are your students though? Or possibly a few of the other teachers?" Orsino shifted, looking awkward as Garrett's frown deepened. "You are here, I suppose, to assist the templars in the taking of the keep, no?"

"No." Oh for... Orsino shook his head with a grimace, looking back at his escort. "I'm here to ensure a 'calm and orderly Circle, preventing any foolish actions by the younger generation of mages'."

"That sounds like Cullen phrasing Meredith's order." The First Enchanter didn't reply, only grimaced. "So basically...you're a hostage to keep the mages behaving and not rally to some figurehead for a foolish break-out idea?"

Orsino shifted awkwardly at the words, but didn't deny them, meanwhile, the two templars behind him exchanged glances, no doubt wishing they had another job at the moment. In the end, the one who answered was another newcomer. "That is more or less correct, Hawke." Great, this ought to be a headache. Struggling not to groan, Garrett turned to face the approaching Meredith. "I do not appreciate the tone of criticism, though I'm not surprised since you cannot hope to understand the duties of a Templar." You'd be surprised. "Glad you at least agree that any break-out would be foolish though." The woman stopped short of barging into him, smile cold. "Your brother told me you had some sense."

"He's too kind." Garrett looked past the woman, to the man behind and to her right. Despite the defiant look he got back, he knew what he should do, what was proper...yet the memory of watching mother hide away in her room, of their latest encounter...it stopped the words from escaping. Instead, Garrett turned his gaze over to the man behind and to Meredith's right. "Cullen, good to see you." His brother's face screwed up in annoyance even as Cullen offered a pale but polite nod back. Garrett, meanwhile, steered his gaze back to Meredith and the task at hand. "Why aren't there more mages here? You could have more than a dozen here, under guard of course, bombarding the enemy."

Meredith scowled at him. "The templars are more than capable of handling this themselves."

"Of course, I was simply thinking you'd have less casualties that way..." Garrett grunted, not really about to pick a fight over something he didn't want to see enacted in the first place. "You intend to storm then?" He held back a grimace, dreading the answer. "Don't think you have enough troops for that at the moment..."

Meredith's scowl somehow managed to get even worse. "More will come, many are currently hunting down the apostates that the Qunari gas and the events after revealed, also, I have tripled those guarding the mages so they can properly receive these apostates."

"You mean put those in the Circle under closer guard!" Orsino snapped, the man standing straight, as if trying to match the height of the humans surrounding him. "Do not try to hide your lack of trust, Meredith."

"Templars must not trust mages, it's the way it must be." Meredith retorted, chin raised. "And given the activities of certain students, you should not ask for it."

Orsino sighed, rubbing his temples, hinting that the discussion had been one he'd had too many times. However, before he could reply and turn the thing into a debate there was no time for, Garrett spoke up. "I'm sorry, we have an army holding the centre of our city, and you're diverting the majority of your troops to hunt criminals?" Meredith turned her frown from Orsino to him. Why am I even arguing? I don't want her attacking...but...eugh...it's so moronic! "Are you insane!?"

"Take care with the tone you use with me, noble." Meredith sneered the rank as if it was a curse. "Or may I remind you that cleaning up your mess is not a Templar duty."

"You got to be...they're burning down the city around you!" Garrett shook his head. "You have to do something whether you like it or not!"

"On that, we're agreed." The Knight-Commander snorted, gaze drawn to the keep, voice dripping with contempt. "Templars will die for a fight that isn't theirs, all because you couldn't control these people."

"If you recall, not long ago I asked you to..." Garrett clenched his teeth shut, realising that further arguing would bring him nowhere. Sanctimonious bitch, always thinking she's right... "What is your plan then? I'm guessing you have one."

"We apprehend as many mad apostates as possible, containing the situation." Oooof course."Meanwhile, my troops are encircling the keep and will keep anyone from leaving as I gather enough templars to storm the keep."

"That's your plan?" Garrett stared at the woman, unimpressed.

"Yes." Meredith scowled back, noting the look on his face. "Why?"

"The Qunari took nearly every noble in the city with them into the keep." Aveline grunted, shifting where she stood, gaze flicking between Garrett and Meredith with a concerned look in her eyes. "They're likely keeping both them and the Viscount hostage."

"Which means that if you barge up the main gate, the hostages will all die." Orsino finished with a snort. "Doesn't take a scholar to figure that one out."

"No, but apparently it takes a leader of warriors to know that you can't save them all." Meredith snapped, arms crossed over her chest. "Those nobles were dead the moment they were brought into the keep, I won't hesitate in carrying out my duty because of some pampered fools didn't think to run faster or fight better."

Garrett found himself narrowing his eyes, and the Knight-Commander met his gaze, unflinching. Are you saying this out of conviction...or because of how convenient it would be without all those nobles and the viscount...? Meredith's face didn't reveal any guilt. Would she feel guilt, if she's convinced them gone would be for the better? Nor any subtle machinations. As subtle as a brick, or is she...? One does not become commander out of nothing. Nor anything but hostility and defiance, daring him to question her decision or authority. "Very well, I understand your decision." Garrett finally spoke, making all present arch their eyebrows in surprise. "However, while you must do your duty, so must I...and with all major nobles captured or dead, as well as the Viscount, I am the de facto acting Viscount here!"

Around him, people took a step back, sensing danger, a confrontation.

All but Meredith, the woman's face amused.

"I suppose you are, acting Viscount." She turned, gesturing at the nearby templars to follow, which Orsino's guards took as including them as well, making them grab the protesting mage by the arms and hoist him along. "Good luck using your few guardsmen and hob-cob of mercenaries to save your nobles or whatever you intend...we templars will proceed according to my orders, however."

Garrett glared at the woman's back, ignoring the warning look his brother gave him as well as the apologetic one Cullen offered. All he saw was Meredith, the woman calmly walking away, thinking him the fool. His growl was low, spoken through gritted teeth. "Oh I will..."

"Erm..." Varric awkwardly cleared his throat, making Garrett turn to find his friends and allies look at him with doubting looks. "...how?"

"By fighting dirty, of course." Garrett grunted, making the dwarf and Anders chuckle in unison even as Aveline and Fenris exchanged arched eyebrows, at the back, poking her head out from over Varric's shoulder, Merrill grinned. "Aveline, I need you to run interference."

"Run what now?" Aveline grunted, sounding confused and hesitant.

"You're already where you're supposed to be." Garrett replied, smiling wickedly. "Widen the lines though, have your men form a good and proper formation covering the plaza from one end to the next. And then...don't move." Varric chuckled even as Aveline just looked even more confused. "If Meredith tries to barge though, you don't move, if she orders you aside, you don't move, if a dragon lands right in the plaza...you don't move." Garrett smirked as he looked back towards the templars forming up on the plaza. "Let's see you enact your frontal assault with the guard blocking the path, wench."

"I'm not...comfortable doing that." Aveline grunted, taking a step back and crossing her arms over her chest. "You can't really tell me to-"

"I can, and I am." Garrett took a step closer, glowering down at her. "Or do I need to quote the law? 'In the event of a crisis where the Viscount is not available, the most senior and greatest noble commands, holding all the power and responsibilities until the Viscount can be contacted or a new Viscount elected.'" Garrett watched Aveline's eyes flash, then she lowered her head with a sigh. "Do you deny that this is a crisis? Or that I'm the most senior and powerful noble available?"

"No..."

"Good." Garrett whirled about, not about to allow any more arguing. "Then do as I command, Captain. I'd take you with me, but I need you to block Meredith's arguing as well as her troops."

"Oh joy, I love having people yell at me." Aveline grunted back.

"No wonder you're so dedicated to your job then." Varric snickered at the guards-woman, then turned his gaze to Garrett. "And now what?" He glanced back towards the large set of stairs leading up to the rubble that had once been the gate to the Viscount's keep. "Not exactly easy to get in there."

"There are other ways..." Garrett smiled back.

"Ahhh...another clever little tunnel?" Varric chuckled. "Knew I shouldn't have put on my good boots today."

At the back, Merrill's voice was a whimper. "Uh oh...boots?"

Even Fenris smiled at that.

8

8

8

"I think I stepped on something..." Merrill's disgusted whisper sent a ripple of nervous giggles down the narrow tunnel.

At the front of the group, Garrett didn't have much room to turn with two of his soldiers flanking him, but he still managed to throw a smile back. Maker, I need you after this is over...it's not exactly how I imagined things would go after just the first month.

"So..." Varric muttered in the wake of the waning giggles, no doubt trying to stop the silence from wearing on people's already tense nerves. "...do you know a tunnel to every place in the city?"

"More or less." Garrett shrugged. "Before my time as a noble, I got around a lot, you know that..."

"Okay..." Someone, a soldier out of Garrett's view, muttered nervously. "So do any of these said tunnels lead to a place not infested with crazy and armed people wanting to kill you?"

Before Garrett could reply, Varric snickered. "This is Kirkwall, son...be happy they're actual people and not some three-headed dragon."

A chuckle spread across the tunnel.

Then it died when Garrett snapped. "We're here." Pushing forward, Garrett found the narrow door of smooth rock jammed, as he'd once left it. "Okay, Anders and Merrill, you stay at the back of the room, as many as possible of those who follow will then fill the room while the rest wait to fill in when we rush out. It should be empty, and if so we exit quietly, if not, we do so fast and hard." Garrett muttered, finding the wedge of old wood he'd once used to prop the door shut. "Pass that order along, quietly."

As the whispered order transmitted down the long line of soldiers, Garrett grunted a curse, pulling hard to release the wood from its fitting. I really jammed it in there...and these gauntlets aren't helping. Finally, with a little crack, the wood gave way, allowing him to toss aside the item and grab at the smooth stone, scrabbling for purchase, then finding it and making it slide sideways.

It wasn't even halfway open when Garrett pressed his way through and drew his sword, eyes wide as he nervously looked around himself. Thank the Maker! "No one's here, come on! They'll definitely be at the other end of the real door!" He moved forward, around the large desk and the many papers on it, and put his helmet on, the straps clicking shut one after the other before he readied his longsword. "Hurry up, damn it!" To him, his sharp whispers felt unnaturally loud, but he knew it was just his nerves amplifying things.

Looking back, he found a chuckling Anders and a wide-eyed Merrill move to one of the far corners of the room. Meanwhile Varric was sauntering forward, looking about himself with a smirk. "This is...Aveline's office?" He looked over to Garrett with an innocent smile. "Now why would you need entrance to the Guard Captains office?"

"The old Captain once took a paper I needed." Garrett shrugged, not about to tell every tale of his adventures, even though he was sure Varric would gladly listen. "I'll tell you later, bloody man! Fenris, Maric, get over here! John! Ben! Leroy! Don't drag your feet!"

Swiftly, the room was being filled up, the tension increasing in it as everyone stared at the door ahead, at the door whose handle Garrett was gripping tight.

He didn't open it though, he turned, gaze sweeping over the assembled. "The office is just next to a hallway. We'll exit into a platform that has two daises on either side of a stair leading down to the hallway, it's likely there'll be archers up on this platform. On the left we'll have the door leading to the outer defences of the keep, we will need to secure it before the Qunari can use it to bring in the majority of the defenders. If we fail, we'll end up having to defend it, as the Qunari no doubt are preparing to do." That'll be a tough one. "Once we've taken down any defenders and secured the left door, we'll have to head into the right one, which will take us directly the throne room, as likely as any place for the Arishok to make his headquarters. If he's not there, there's other tunnels within that can take us to various places in the keep, they won't be able to pin us down." Men and women blinked, the information too much in their stressed states, but there was still a hint of relief at the last words, wordspromising escape if all goes south. Of course, if it does, not all will manage to reach those tunnels... Garrett banished the doubt and growled. "But for now, secure that left door!"

Silence greeted him, silence and determined nods as his soldiers fastened their helmets and secured their shields onto their arms.

"We charge on my command." Garrett took a deep breath and twisted the handle. "One..." Pushed, nudging the door open. "...two..." Released the handle, hand instead gripping his shield tight as he drew his foot back. "...three!"

With a crash, Garrett's foot smashed the door inwards. It crashed against the wall and flew back, only for his armoured bulk to tackle it backwards once more as he with a cry charged forward, trying to take in everything at once.

He could just about see the upper edge of the large doors in the hallway below, and felt a flood of relief at seeing the left closed and secured with a number of beams resting against it. Down the central stair he could also see a barricade erected against any would-be attackers coming from the door. The mix of smashed chairs and tables created a surprisingly large chest-high wall, behind which what looked like forty Kossith warriors stood in vigil.

The platform itself onto which Garrett's warriors were flooding was inhabited as well though. On each side of the stair, the marble benches put up for visitors were now used to kneel on by numerous elven arches looking down at the sealed left gate with clear tension and anger. Even more were crowding behind the first row, so many it would be difficult to have them all capable of shooting at any would-be attacker coming through the gate, and there was no doubt they'd been placed there to replace the fallen or to simply strengthen the resolve of those at the front.

Then chaos erupted.

Below, in the hallway, a Kossith warrior shouted a warning, followed by one with a silvery helmet shouting a string of commands.

On the platform though, elves turned and paled, some screamed in terror, some turned to run, some raised their bows.

Garrett's soldiers rushed forward in a frenzy of released tension.

The first to fall was an elf, Maric bowling the shrieking woman over before silencing her when his teeth wound around her windpipe and ripped it out.

The second to fall was another elf, the man dying without a word as a bolt from Varric's crossbow smashed into his throat.

The third was one of Garrett's soldiers, a hurried bow-shot striking the man in the mouth mid-roar.

Then Garrett's world was reduced to what lay straight in front of him as an arrow skidded off his helmet and another clattered off his shield. Ahead, another elf was trying to shoot the Mabari that had just killed his friend, only for the dog to swat the man's legs with a powerful paw, bringing him down before pouncing with raging teeth. A third elf drew a long dagger and moved to pounce the Mabari, and then his breath wheezed out into Garrett's face as the noble crashed shield-first into the elf's chest, the tackle quickly followed by a high thrust that left the elf collapsing, clutching at his neck even as a stomping foot broke his ribcage.

Bereft of shields or any weapon fitting for the combat they were in, the first elves hurled themselves at Garrett and those beside him in desperation. One hacked at Garrett's raised shield with a hatchet like a madman, then shrieked as a falchion from one of Garrett's men tore his leg off at the knee. The moment the elf fell, Garrett's longsword thrust out, blade punching through leather armour and skin, making blood spew out as another elf's stomach was ripped open, the stench of his insides washing against Garrett like a wave.

The elves, behind hacked down all around, began to pull back, but there was nowhere to run.

Screaming in terror, one of the closest elves threw his dagger down and ran, knocking two more sprawling as he leaped on and past the bench to get over the railing behind. His scream was louder on the way down, but mercifully short.

Another, hesitating, moved to lay down his hatchet...and Garrett cut his arm off at the elbow, sending the man crashing to the floor in a shower of blood. We don't have time for prisoners. "For Kirkwall!" He rushed forward.

A hatchet aimed at his face slid off the angled metal of his helmet, the arm wielding it breaking as a swinging shield caught it at the elbow. The anguished face of the elf dropping the hatchet came apart in an explosion of blood as a hacking longsword split it in two.

A shortsword, thrust towards his chest was parried by a gory longsword, only for the riposte of the later to smoothly enter the elf's chest to the hilt. The blow lifted the woman off her feet before hurling her into another elf, sending both corpse and screaming man falling over the railing and into the barricade of the Qunari.

Eyes wide in terror, desperately holding a dagger in two hands for defence..and Garret brushed the weapon aside with his shield before hacking his blade into the trembling elf, nearly splitting the boy in two along his midsection and sending his corpse sprawling over the by now blood-soaked banister.

The platform was theirs.

Panting, Garrett looked to the right, finding the other side also taken, a gore-covered Fenris hacking down the two last remaining elves with an almost bored look on his face.

Then he looked to the left, and to his horror saw three Kossith struggling to remove the beams securing the door leading to the rest of the keep, the pounding coming from behind suggesting the reinforcement was ready to rush in. "Varric! Get up here! Stop them!"

"Bianca's on the case!" Was the reply, the dwarf shouldering his way past soldiers, something in his crossbow clicking loudly as the dwarf nudged Garrett aside to lean up against the banister. "Stand back, children, daddy's here." The sentence was punctuated by a crack, a high-powered bolt neatly slamming into the neck of one of the Kossith's, making the other two scramble for cover as their comrade writhed and moaned in agony, trying to reach the bolt deep inside him.

"keep them pinned!" Garrett whirled about and ran towards the stairs, only to find the press of troops there too great to reach. Instead he managed to reach the banister to his dais overlooking the stairs...and his eyes widened in shock before narrowing in frustration.

The Qunari were holding them back. Not even forty Kossith holding back nearly two hundred men in the narrow stairs. Half the Qunari stood at the front with halberds, the jabbing weapons shooting back and forth like the pistons of some dwarven creation, knocking or forcing people back with every strike if they were lucky, killing them if they weren't. The other half was nearly leaning atop the first few ranks, shields held high, creating an overlapping roof of blackened steel and wood. Some of the shield-armed Qunari had even pulled back, using javelins drawn from quivers leaning on the far wall to pelt the onrushing humans.

Even as Garrett watched, one of his men fell with a scream as a javelin caught him in the chest. Falling onto his knees more due to the shock than it having been a killing blow, he dropped his shield...and a halberd split his skull in two. Another, having tried to save the man before he was killed, instead fell as well, a halberd's tip slamming into his knee and sending him sprawling, a further three blows ending his struggles in the blink of an eye.

Damn, they can't close with the enemy! The Kossith were thrusting and slashing, the double row of halberds holding their foes back with a mixture of intimidation and actual killing power as the deadly blades held Garrett's men back. The by now steady rain of javelins only made things worse, making Garrett's men slowly lose ground and back up the stairs as they cowered behind their shields and tried to survive more than hit back. Shit, no way to go round either. Garrett looked down and winced at the sight of the elves that had fallen over the railing and to their deaths. Garrett looked to Varric and the dwarf's crossbow with a doubting look, weighing the importance of the dwarf's current job with what he could probably do versus the wall of halberdiers at the stairs...then shook his head. Won't be fast enough, and the enemy will then help the reinforcement get through those doors. Frustrated, he looked back towards Aveline's office, wondering if the situation was dire enough to summon the mages, then shook his head again and looked around in desperation. We need to break up that phalanx and...wait a second...

Garrett smiled. "Soldier, help me with this!" The man turning from his frustrating job of waiting for his turn to help out with the fighting at the stairs turned and stared at Garrett like he was mad. "Don't just gawk! Help! It's bloody heavy!"

With a groan, the man moved to join...and then another one rushed in to assist, dragging and then, finally, pushing, heaving with all their might.

With a groan like a mountain shifting, the marble bench hesitated atop, then toppled over the railing facing the stairs.

Below, the more attentive Qunari at the back scattered.

The rest only realised something was amiss when their world turned into bloody pain and death, a quarter ton of a marble slab crashing atop them, crushing armour, breaking bones and evaporating all organisation.

"Charge!" The cry rose randomly from a dozen throats at once, and the humans poured forth like water through a broken dam.

A Qunari halberd speared the first man rushing in, the cruel weapon lifting the man up in the air and sending him flying over the head of his target. A woman, shield held too low, had a javelin slam into her chest, making her fall down onto it, driving the weapon even further into her and ending any chance of survival. Another man bashed aside the point of his foe's halberd, only to have the other end smash him across the jaw and fell him onto his back, the following downwards swing of the Qunari splitting the soldier's skull in two.

But momentum had shifted and Garrett watched as Fenris brushed aside a halberd's point, ducked under the swing of the butt-end of the weapon and then brought his greatsword down with a Tevinter curse on his lips, the blade ripping the Qunari's stomach open in a shower of metal scales and blood. The elf then moved to his next target, the Kossith with a silvered helmet, the Qunari's greatsword raised in a high guard as Fenris brought his sword into a low, feet shifting, bobbing like a boxer's while the Kossith's remained glued to the ground like a mountain's.

Near the left gate, the two Qunari that had ducked away from Varric's crossbow now made a valiant sally, rushing towards the nearest beam holding the gate secured...and one instantly fell, a bolt disappearing into his armpit. The second ignored the fallen and moved to push at the beam, only to drop onto one knee as another bolt shot out, catching the Kossith in the lower back. Groaning, the giant dropped onto all fours, trembling hand the reaching up, trying to grasp hold of the beam...only to fall as a third bolt shot out.

A Qunari deflected a human's blade with his shield, his own blade thrusting out...only for the human to duck under under it, his rapid back-hand swing separating the Qunari's hand from his wrist.

A human crashed shield to shield against a Qunari, axe sliding off his foe's scales even as his eyes widened in surprise as the Qunari blade he never saw bored itself into his gut.

A Kossith roared, swinging halberd sending three of Garrett's men stumbling back in fright...and then the Kossith was on his knees, a javelin hurled by one of Garrett's Rivaini soldiers embedded in his larynx. Still, the giant tried to raise his weapon...only to have it brushed aside by the three soldiers as they closed the distance and hacked the Qunari apart.

Three Qunari were driven into the back wall by the sheer force and numbers of their attackers, furiously trying to parry...only to fall as a multitude of swords stabbed into all three at once.

Garrett shook his head, forcing himself to stop staring at the brutality of it all...only to catch sight of a silvered helmet containing a Qunari's head rolling along the floor and Fenris standing over the corpse of the Qunari officer, his pale face marred by a trickle of blood pouring from the top of his forehead.

Enough. Shaking his head, Garrett turned and marched for the stairs, offering Maric a smile as the blood-soaked hound offered a pleased woof. Around him, grinning soldiers and even a smirking Varric hoisted their weapons high in a cheer as Garrett wiped his blade off on a nearby corpse and marched down the stairs. "Excellent work!" Around him, the hallway was awash with blood and bodies, some hacked into pieces. "You thirty! Man these barricades and let no Qunari pass!" Garrett waved those who had been at the front over to the left as he sheathed his blade and took his helmet off with a relieved sigh. Might as well bring the fresh troops up...and these ones deserve a breather anyway. "The rest of you, form up and make ready! None attacks unless it's on my command! Remember, I want to avoid a blood-bath!"

"Erm..." Varric raised a hand, then pointed at the gore all around them, making a few chuckle awkwardly.

"Correction, I don't want more of a blood-bath than necessary!" Garrett shot the dwarf an annoyed glare. "Happy now?" Varric just smirked back. "Good! Now, Fenris, what's the news on that door?"

"No surprise there." The elf grunted, pulling his blade out of the tough oak as he turned a neutral look to Garrett. "Barricaded, probably just like this one." Damn. Garrett glanced back, watching the other door shake as a yellow glow appeared again and again through the springs, the Qunari's Sarebaas apparently going loose on the door with their fireballs, but with little success. Not the strongest attack against something solid, we're lucky the Qunari don't study magic too intricately. Though we're short on time and...

"Merrill, Anders?" He hesitated to voice the names, yet the two came forth, one with a trusting smile, the other looking hesitant and disapproving at the door, then at Garrett. "I..." He bit his lip, looking at the gathered troops around him, at all the witnesses. "...erm..." Shit.

Is this really enough of a crisis to warrant their use? Their revealing?

Can I really protect them? Who can I trust to keep their secret? Certainly not that many? And what of the nobles? Even with them owing me their lives if I save them, will-

"Erm...serah?" Garrett looked up at the voice, blinking in surprise at a soldier of Orlesian appearance, and judging by his short stature and poor excuse for a moustache, one nearly too young to have signed up with the other troops. The man was shifting from foot to foot, looking equal part nervous and eager. "Are we doing this or what? When will they, you know, magic the door away?"

Garrett's jaw dropped.

Next to the man, Anders and Merrill turned, staring at him in shock as the other soldiers looked on with a mixture of amusement and hesitance.

Blinking at the looks he was given, the soldier made a face. "What? That was...a secret? You know, if my time in Orlais told me anything, is that you can't hide anything from the servants...what, you don't think the people changing your clothes and doing your dishes don't find out about stuff? And gossip about it with us?" He swallowed, yet to his credit didn't take a step back. "With respect, serah...we already know, so you might as well let them rip and have it done with." A final shuffle of his feet, and he looked away. "Plus, I kind of want to see what they can do..."

At the back, someone chuckled even as Fenris gave voice to a loud snort.

"What's your name?"

The man that was nearly a boy straightened. "Pip, serah."

Garrett arched an eyebrow, making someone at the back speak up. "It's because he always peeps up when least expect it!"

A nervous chuckle spread along the ranks...and Garrett forced himself to smile even as he struggled not to think of the danger he and his friends had been in unknowingly for so long. "Well...in that case.." He took a deep breath and turned to face the two mages, sparing a smile for the prettier one and getting a dazzling smile in return. "Merrill, Anders...I'm thinking ice followed by rock, but it's your choice."

The elf and human exchanged a glance, then shrugged, the man growling something under his breath, then louder. "Fine, one dramatic entrance, coming up..."

Garrett nodded, smiled and handed his shield to the nearest soldier, followed by his helmet. Then he turned to face the door, hands behind his back, taking deep breaths as he pondered what to say and how to avoid the disaster that failure would surely bring.

As the air around him grew colder, Garrett felt a his resolve strengthen.

I can do this.

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Thanks to Abydos Jackson for all the fun and games.