A/N: I didn't want to focus too heavily on each level of the tower, so I skipped them. Some of the dialogue was taken from the game but mostly because it fit so well. Two updates within days of each other are not going to happen often so please enjoy!
Chapter Eight: The Tower of Ishal
The wind whipped around the army as it stood at the gates of Ostagar, rain beating down on their backs as lightening cracked overhead, only nature made its presence known as the army stood in silence. The archers stood at the ready, bows drawn taught, a few arrows were quivering in the grips of their bearers, fear and cold sinking into their bones as they waited. Below them were the foot soldiers faces set with determination, their swords gleamed as a bolt of lightening broke through the sky, some of the rogues spun their daggers as they stood there awaiting King Cailan's inevitable command. The dogs in front of them grew as restless as the soldiers themselves, barking at the open field with teeth bared, though they did not move from their position. Between the rows and rows of soldiers, members of the local Chantry walked through giving blessings of the Maker to the men and swinging lanterns full of incense as they past by.
King Cailan walked overhead on the upper balcony overlooking the battlefield with Duncan at his side, the young man's face which was usually free from worry, was now set in determination and concern as he gazed down at his army. This had been the moment he had been waiting for all day but now as the battle drew closer he found himself wishing for a few more hours. He looked to Duncan, the old Warden was looking down at the field below, his dark eyes full of ferocity yet there was a hint of sadness behind the strength. The time to attack would be here at any moment, their fates decided as the Maker cast the die, the young king glanced at his friend.
"Is he safe?" he asked quietly, hoping no one could hear him over the howling winds.
"Yes," replied Duncan and Cailan gave a sharp nod, glad he had instituted this back up plan after all.
Suddenly, an orange hue was cast over the horizon though the sun had long since set, the clanking of armor could be heard above the wind and the snarls of fearsome darkspawn found their way to the soldiers' ears. An eerie mist leached out of the forest in front of them, as if trying to hide the darkness contained within its wisps, though their silhouettes could still be seen emerging from the fog. Moments later, a great army of ferocious darkspawn spanned the length of the forest, they beat their swords against their shields as what appeared to be the general of the army stepped forward. In a flash of lightening the King's soldiers could see this darkspawn was a great deal bigger than the others, only dwarfed by the ogres standing behind it. The general gave a signal with his sword and the army ran at top speed towards Ostagar, their terrible cries piercing the night air as they charged forth, bearing quickly down on the King's soldiers.
Cailan looked at the massive army charging towards them, this horde was bigger than the scouts had reported, a great deal bigger in fact. He wanted to sound the retreat, save his men from their untimely deaths but knew doing so would not be what was best for Ferelden, instead he steeled his heart against the thought and watched for when the first line of attack would be signaled. "Archers!" he cried over the sounds of the storm. The archers all around him raised their bows high into the air and fired, raining hundreds of fire tipped arrows onto the first few lines of darkspawn. Most fell but there were many left standing, especially the ogres, they continued to barrel blindly down the field without hesitation.
"Hounds!" commanded Cailan and the dogs were released. They ran almost as fast as the darkspawn, meeting them head on, tearing the limbs off of any creature that came in their path, unfortunately they were overwhelmed by many men and swords and many were quickly killed.
He had to look away, just for a moment, preparing himself for the next command that would surely end the lives of many a brave soldier. "For Ferelden!" he cried, raising his sword up high, the men charged forward their shouts matching the strength of the darkspawns' hideous snarls. Immediately they were neck deep in darkspawn, easily outnumbered seven to one but they did not care, instead they thought of their homes and families knowing their sacrifice tonight would keep them safe.
Cailan watched as his men met the darkspawn, cringing each time one of his soldiers fell, he barely had time to register that there were flaming rocks being hurled at the fortress. Duncan saw one coming straight for them and pulled the King to safety, he knew they had to get down from this position or they would surely die before seeing the light of dawn. "Cailan!" he shouted over the roar of an ogre. "Our time has come! We must join the men on the field!"
The young king looked at Duncan and then turned back to his men whom were now fully engaged in battle with the darkspawn, he knew his place was at their side and if tonight was the night the Maker called him home, he could think of no better place to die than with his men. He gave a curt nod and followed Duncan down the stairs of the balcony, fully prepared for anything to happen to him once he stepped foot on the battlefield.
Yvaine watched from the bridge as the battle began, she had never seen so many darkspawn and hoped to never again, they were truly vile and ruthless creatures killing even the wounded as they attempted to crawl back to the fortress. Behind her she heard an explosion, looking up she saw the top of the tower of Ishal being struck by a flaming stone, she watched as some of the pillars crumbled and fell to the ground crushing several soldiers in the process. She was focusing so intently on the tower she failed to notice the men rushing behind her, nearly taking her out as they ran across the bridge. Suddenly she felt someone save her from hitting the ground, looking up she saw Alistair, he was holding her close as he returned her to her feet.
"Thank you, surely you saved me from a cracked skull," she said as she unsheathed her blade, moving her shield in front of her.
"It wouldn't be the first time," he replied with a wink as he too pulled his blade from behind his back, his shield at the ready.
"We need to get across this bridge, now!" shouted Fergus and Yvaine nodded, Gawain giving a loud bark in response. The group hurried across the bridge, around them the soldiers fired of arrows and several were operating ballistas in an attempt to keep the darkspawn from getting too close to the fortress. When they made it halfway across the bridge, one of the flaming stones struck just a few feet away, sending rubble and men flying. Yvaine barely managed to avoid the destruction, Gawain bounded up to her and started sniffing around as if trying to detect if she had been injured.
She pushed his bothersome nose away, receiving a sharp whine in return. "I'm fine, boy, keep going." The Mabari gave another loud bark and they started off down the bridge again, making it across just as another flaming stone hit the very spot they had just been standing a few moments ago. They made it to the open area close to the entrance of the tower just as a mage and soldier came bolting down.
"You can't go in there!" shrieked the mage, throwing herself onto Yvaine's shoulders as if begging with her not to venture further.
"Death surely awaits you, Grey Warden or not!" cried the soldier.
Yvaine grabbed the mage roughly by the shoulders, forcing her to look her in the eye. "You must calm down, for the sake of us all!" She released the trembling mage and turned to the soldier whom seemed the calmer of the two. "Tell me, man, what's happened?"
"The tower's been taken! It's lost, the battle is lost!" he shouted, his face turning as pale as a ghost.
"Slow down," said Alistair sternly. "What do you mean it's been taken? How?"
The soldier took a deep breath before speaking again. "The darkspawn invaded through the lower levels of the tower, killing everything in their path, all of our men in there are dead."
"I guess I'll finally get to use that darkspawn detection power you mentioned earlier, Alistair," said Yvaine grimly and Alistair nodded in response.
The soldier seemed horrified. "You can't possibly be thinking of going in there! It's suicide!"
"Darkspawn or no, we have to get to the top and light the beacon," said Yvaine bravely, she was terrified of entering a tower full of darkspawn but knew the battle hung on whether or not that beacon was lit.
Fergus nodded. "She's right, we have to keep going!"
"Maker be with you!" shouted the soldier as he ran off, the mage practically on his heels as she made her getaway.
"Come on, we have a tower to take back!" shouted Yvaine as she charged forward, Alistair, Fergus, and Gawain hot on her heels.
They ran up the stone ramp that lead to the entrance of the tower, when they got within sight of the door they heard the unmistakeable sounds of hurlocks snarling and swords hitting; upon closer inspection they saw some soldiers fighting the darkspawn. Yvaine spied the nearest one and ran as fast as she could, blocking the creature's sword as it came close to piercing the armor of a solider, using the momentum their locked blades provided, she sharply thrust her sword up and threw the darkspawn onto its back. Gawain quickly pounced on the felled creature and tore its throat out, blood gushing all over him, though he seemed unperturbed by the spray of tainted fluid. Alistair rushed towards another hurlock with his shield raised, striking it and sending it flying backwards though it did not hit the ground, Fergus was ready and sliced cleanly through the monster's head. Just then the third hurlock flanked Yvaine, sending her face first into the dirt, she turned just as Fergus thrust his sword deep into the chest of the monster killing it instantly. He leant down and helped her back to her feet, she could feel a sharp pain in her shoulder, quickly she pulled out an injury kit and rubbed the paste onto her injured shoulder, instantly reducing the pain to a dull ache. 'That will have to do for now,' she thought as she pocketed the remainder of the potion.
"Are you alright, Yvaine?" asked Fergus, his eyes shining with concern for his little sister.
She nodded. "I'm fine, let's return to the task at hand, we haven't much time left," she said briskly as she walked up to the tower's door.
"As you say, leader," sighed Fergus, he had seen his sister apply the paste, he knew she had suffered some damage but was refusing to acknowledge its existence. Instead of protesting that she wait until the injury was fully healed, he silently followed her to the door, pleasantly surprised to find there were not anymore darkspawn waiting for them at the entrance.
Yvaine felt a gnawing feeling deep within her gut and she suddenly felt very ill. "Darkspawn," she said and she looked to Alistair whom confirmed her assessment. Cautiously she opened the great oak doors that lead into the base of the tower, and the group slipped inside, being careful not to trigger any traps that may lay at the door's threshold.
When they were safely inside, Gawain let out a deep growl, his mistress shook her head and he was silent at once. Yvaine ducked into the shadows with Gawain, motioning for the other two to join her there, silently she crept against the wall making her way towards the huge doorway. Carefully she peeked around the corner, quickly counting how many and what type of darkspawn were waiting for them in the center room, she pulled away from the entrance and motioned with her head that they should fall back a little.
"The door leading to the top of the tower is just across that room, but we'll have to clear it first before we can gain any access. From what I saw there were three hurlocks on the right side of the room, two genlocks close to the center, and a genlock emissary in the rear," she whispered, her voice so quiet she barely made a sound. "There are several barriers that are on fire, so I'd stay clear of those entirely. I will be focusing on the emissary first, it has powerful ranged attacks, Fergus you can pick off the two genlocks they're just using small daggers. Alistair, you and Gawain will engage the hurlocks, they have bows and while their arrows will probably be accurately aimed, they won't be much trouble close up if you're quick enough."
Fergus stared at his sister as if she had just started speaking elvish, despite her many years of training, she had never before had to devise a strategy, usually she followed the orders of others and only threw suggestions out every once in a while. She must have been holding back on him, she spoke with such confidence, if he had not known any better he would have thought she had been fighting in battle for years.
"Sounds like a good plan," whispered Alistair, his voice shaking Fergus from his thoughts. "Just give the signal when you're ready."
Yvaine nodded and started inching herself closer to the entrance again, her heart hammering in her chest the closer she came, she was not entirely sure her plan was going to work at all. She was merely going by what she had read in the codexes Duncan had given her earlier that day so she would be prepared for whatever darkspawn she might have encountered. Quietly she unsheathed her sword and pulled her shield from its spot on her back, if this was going to work she was going to need every advantage she had at her disposal, when she was sure it was time she nodded her head and rushed forward. She ran past the two genlocks, her eyes locked on the emissary, it was starting to cast a spell but she quickly interrupted it by slamming it with her shield. Her injured shoulder made lifting her sword difficult but not impossible, keeping it in the air between strikes was much harder than she had anticipated, with each thrust of her sword she could feel her stamina ebbing away slowly.
Around her she could hear her brother and Alistair focusing on their assigned targets, they sounded as if they were having better luck than she was with this emissary, her thoughts distracted her more than she thought because she suddenly felt cold gripping her body. The emissary had cast some kind of cold spell on her, her body was frozen in place and she could not move, only watch as the emissary targeted her brother's turned back muttering another spell. She started to feel the effects of the spell wearing off but not as quickly as she liked, instead of waiting to fully thaw, Yvaine struggled against the bindings of the spell. Her focus mainly on her sword arm, she was close enough to the emissary that if she could free it she could strike and kill the creature, but first she had to get free. Luck must have been on her side, for her focus on her arm indeed did free it and when she was sure she could move it again, she brought the blade crashing down on the emissary's head splitting its skull.
The rest of her body was soon released from the grip of the cold spell and she nearly fell to the ground, her body was so spent from fighting against the magic that had taken hold of her form. She glanced up and saw that Fergus and Alistair had dispatched the remaining darkspawn, though they looked like they had been put through the ringer.
"Yvaine!" shouted Fergus and he rushed to her side, pulling her against his chest. "Maker's breath, you certainly know how to scare me half to death."
She gave a small chuckle. "It's a talent." The mirth in her voice faded when she saw the cut on her brother's cheek and a few arrows protruding from his legs. "Fergus, how are you still standing?"
He gave her a puzzled look. "What do you mean?" Then he glanced down at his body and instantly fell down taking Yvaine with him, the shock wearing off and pain taking hold of his body, until she had mentioned them he had not noticed his injuries.
Yvaine struggled to reach her pack, she swore loudly when she saw she only had a small injury kit, it would be enough to heal the wound on his head but not the wounds left behind by the arrows. "Alistair, do you have any more injury kits?"
Alistair quickly pulled his pack off of his back and rummaged through it, producing only a few springs of elfroot. "This is all I have, I'm afraid."
She quickly took the root from his hands and broke a few sprigs off, forcing Fergus to eat the foul smelling herb. "It'll do for now," she said as she readied the injury kit. "Loot the bodies and bring back whatever you find."
She heard Alistair shuffle away, Gawain trotting off with the junior Warden, occasionally bringing him an item. Yvaine started rubbing the salve into her brother's head wound, wincing slightly herself when she heard his breath hitch in pain, while the roots had lessened the bleeding the wound itself was gaping and took the entire kit in order to heal it.
"I found another injury kit," said Alistair wearily as he handed over the kit, he had also managed to find a couple of health poultices and even a decent amount of coin but that was about all.
Yvaine nodded her thanks and set about healing the rest of Fergus' injuries, glad to see the arrows had only made small wounds compared to the huge cut down the side of his face. "That should just about do it," she said and then turned her attention to Alistair, he appeared to be favoring his left leg over his right and she quickly saw why, there was a nasty gash running from the top of his thigh to his knee. Whatever sword had gotten him had bypassed his armor completely. Without thinking she started spreading the remainder of the kit on his leg, not even noticing that he had turned four shades of red in under five seconds. Guilt flooded her body, her strategy had nearly gotten them all killed save for Gawain whom seemed to be doing better than any of the human companions. When both men were patched up, the group headed towards the door, Yvaine taking extra care to be slower in her stride so they could walk together instead of her rushing ahead.
"I'll get the door," she offered and started unlatching the handle on the metal door before them, her hands shaking the entire time, the shock of the attack still taking its toll on her already weakened body. Her hands were trembling so badly she dropped the latch, re-locking the door in the process, she silently cursed under her breath.
Suddenly she felt a hand on her arm, looking over her shoulder she saw Alistair was standing behind her, under his steady gaze she felt a hot blush creep into her cheeks.
"Here, let me help you," he said gently and together they managed to unlock the door.
"Thank you," she muttered as they started ascending the winding staircase, she was now focused on trying to feel out the darkspawn, not wanting to be surprised by an ambush or worse.
"Yvaine, are you alright?" asked Alistair when he noticed she had gone uncharacteristically quiet.
"Yes," said Yvaine with a sharp nod. "How are you feeling? If you're in any pain, I still have those roots from before, it should help numb the pain."
Alistair brushed her concern aside. "I'm fine, just a little dizzy, but we're not talking about me we're talking about you. Are you sure that spell didn't hurt you in some way? I noticed your sword arm is dragging a little."
She gave a heavy sigh, of course he would have noticed that, even Fergus probably saw that she had been struggling to keep her sword upright. "I guess my shoulder hasn't quite recovered from before, it's nothing really." She tried to sound convincing but by the looks she was receiving from both Alistair and Fergus, she knew she was only fooling herself.
"You know," continued Alistair, "I wonder why these darkspawn are ahead of the horde, from what Duncan said earlier, there wasn't going to be any resistance."
Fergus chuckled. "Weren't you the one complaining earlier that we weren't going to be seeing any action on this assignment?"
Alistair groaned. "Yes, I suppose I was. I guess this gives the phrase 'be careful what you wish for' a whole new meaning."
The rest of the way up to the top of the tower they walked in silence, the stillness occasionally being broken by a low growl from Gawain, he could tell there were darkspawn on the other floors too but Yvaine pressed on. She was not about to engage in any combat while her brother and fellow Warden were both in such poor shape.
"How much further?" asked Fergus, slightly winded, they had been climbing the stairs for what seemed like hours only emphasized more by their slower pace.
Yvaine looked up and grinned when she saw they had only a few more flights to climb before they were at the top. "Just a few more steps, Fergus, we're almost there!" She could hardly believe her luck, they had managed to evade most of the other darkspawn that had been stationed on the other floors, and were now about to be at the top of the tower and this nightmare would be over.
The news they would soon reach the top of the tower was like a breath of fresh air, encouraging the group to continue, their steps seemed much quicker as they finished the climb up. Yvaine could not be happier, maybe this mission would not turn out as horribly as she had thought after their first encounter with the darkspawn at the base of the tower. When they reached the trapdoor, Yvaine pushed on it hard with her shoulder, the euphoria she felt now erasing all of the pain she felt completely. She somehow managed to get the door open and climbed through, kneeling to help Fergus up next, when she was sure he was in the tower she started looking for the fireplace Duncan had mentioned. Her eyes landed on it across the room, a torch burning beside it, she left Fergus to help Alistair and Gawain through the door sprinting as fast as she could to the fireplace. She wanted this over and done with, to get out of this damned tower and rest, in her haste to finish the mission she neglected to see the hulking mass rushing behind her.
The next thing she knew she was sailing across the room, her mind still trying to catch up with what was happening to her body, then her back smacked hard against the stone wall and she fell to the ground. She could barely hear the shouts of her brother and Alistair, her mind was clouded and her hearing was fuzzy, it took what strength she had left to just open her eyes and see what was happening. Yvaine could make out what had hit her like a charging bull, it was a massive ogre, like the ones she had seen earlier on the battlefield only this one seemed to be much bigger. Through heavily lidded eyes, she saw Alistair and Fergus attempting to subdue the beast but having very little luck, Gawain was trying his best to help the men out but even he could not find an open spot of attack. The beast was bearing down on them, charging at every opportunity and beating his fists into the ground until they had fallen over and could barely get up to defend themselves. She saw the creature going after Fergus, Alistair was laying on the ground barely moving, Gawain was attempting to wake him but having very little success. Yvaine was not about to let her brother die this night, after everything that had happened to them, she was not going to lose him to the darkspawn after having just saved him from these very creatures.
She felt around for her sword and found it laying discarded beside her, with what little strength she had left she gripped her family's legacy tightly in her hands, using it as a support so she could return to her feet. When she was up, she saw the ogre preparing for his final attack against Fergus, she gave a battle cry and started running her body functioning off of pure adrenaline alone. The momentum of her motion was just enough to pull off the stunt she was going to try, she jumped onto a crate that was sitting close to the ogre and then used it to propel herself straight in the air. Her sword was pointed down and as she descended back to the ground she drove her blade through the thick skull of the creature, letting go of the hilt before the ogre could reach her, the creature fell to the floor almost immediately after. The creature fell with a loud thud onto its back, Yvaine stood up from where her fall had landed her and walked over to the ogre, pulling out her family's sword from its head, grateful she had been able to kill it before it killed them.
"Are you alright?" asked Yvaine as she walked over to Fergus, covered head to toe in ogre's blood, her entire body ached and felt as if every bone had been broken. Her brother gave a nod and he stood up on shaky legs, clutching his abdomen, his breaths ragged and uneven.
"Light the damn signal so we can leave," he whispered and he made his way back to Alistair whom had still not awakened.
Yvaine walked towards the signal, her body protesting every time she took a step but she refused to give into its demands, she had a mission to complete and even if it killed her she was going to see it through. Gripping the torch firmly in her hands she threw it into the fireplace, watching as the straw in the hearth caught fire quickly, sending the blaze up towards the point that would be the beacon. She smiled to herself as she stepped away from the signal, her job was done at last, the next item on her list was getting all of her group healed and back down the tower.
The room was suddenly filled with a strange rattling, she glanced towards the source and saw the trapdoor was shaking as if it were going to burst apart, her eyes widened in realization: the darkspawn were trying to break through. She tried to run to Fergus and Alistair but she was too late, the door broke and unleashed a huge band of darkspawn, arrows seemed to appear out of nowhere and pierced through her armor. Before she blacked out, the last thing Yvaine heard was the sound of strong wings beating in the wind, and the sound of a dragon's cry.
Loghain looked up in the sky and saw that the beacon had been lit, an evil grin spread across his face, he turned to his lieutenant, Ser Cauthrien. "Sound . . . the retreat," he said triumphantly.
Cauthrien looked at him wide eyed, not believing what she was hearing. "But, sir, the King—"
He gripped her forearm tightly in his, a nasty look written on his features. "You will do as I command!"
She wrenched her arm free from his grip, holding his gaze for a few seconds, she looked as if she were going to protest his order again but instead she turned to the army standing behind her. "Pull out!" she shouted, giving the signal they were falling away from battle.
Loghain looked one last time at the beacon and then at the battlefield. "Maker damn you, Grey Wardens."